When The Blue Irises Are Born Again
by Zena HellFire
Summary: S06e22 Cas opens the Door of Purgatory to steal the souls,he is stopped by the last person he was e latter persuades him that he is making a mistake and Cas gives up his plan,but the Leviathans escape before the Door's e two angels,together with the Winchesters,must deal with a war,the creatures,and with their personal matters.Full sum inside!
1. Chapter 1

Hello, everyone!

This is my first Supernatural story and I've been in the fandom only for a few months, so I apologize from the start if the characters are not always IC. I've tried very hard to stuck to their canon selves and I really hope I've managed it.

The story starts from the last part of episode 06x22 and goes on on its own, without considering what happens in the following season. You could say it's my own version of season 7, since I hadn't seen it yet when I started writing. Some pieces of dialogue are taken from the canon season 7 and some scenes are inspired by real ones. I didn't mean to copy the show, I just thought they fitted this story as /

The whole plot revolves mostly on the characters' interactions and relationships, with a special focus on the themes of trust and faith.

I hope you'll enjoy it! Every comment or critic is really welcome! Please, let me know what you think!

**Warnings**: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.

**Summury:** AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.

The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.

In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.

**Pairings:** Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

><p>The water dripping on the floor was the only sound breaking the silence that burdened the underground room. The walls were covered in mildew and the air was stagnant and humid. Castiel stared at the blood-dirtied jar that he was holding. It felt heavy in his hands and still a bit warm. The seal had already been drawn and was staring at him expectantly from the wall. He tightened his grip on the glass. Why was he hesitating? The expression of betrayal on Dean's face filled his mind, but he chased it away immediately. He wasn't at peace with the web of deceits he had woven, but it had to be done. That was the only way to stop the civil war that was ripping Heaven apart, the war <em>he<em> had started. He would fix everything as soon as he had solved the conflict and restored the order in his world.

He took a deep breath. Angels shouldn't feel nervousness, but after all he had been one of the few who had doubted and he had been about to fall more than once. He still was. He closed his eyes and recalled the words of the spell. It was his only option. "Ianua magna Purgatorii, clausa est ob nos, lumine eius ab oculis, nostris retento…" he started to recite, his tone resolute once more. "Sed nunc stamus ad limen huius Ianuae Magnae et demisse, fideliter perhonorifice paramus aperire eam". The Latin words came easily to his lips, as if they were a long lost reminiscence, a memory from an ancient time that he hadn't lived but that was part of him anyway. It made sense. Purgatory was one of God's creation and angels retained a glimpse of His essence. And yet even that knowledge didn't make the whole act feel right. He swallowed his concerns and kept going. "Creaturae terrificae quarum ungulae et dentes nunquam tetigerunt carnem humanam aperit fauces eius ad mundum nostrum nunc". There he was. Once he had pronounced the last words there would be no turning back. "Ianua Magna, aperta tandem!"

The portal opened before him with an explosion of light and energy, revealing a raging black hole that radiated evilness and despair. Castiel forced himself not to take a step back. The darkness was much stronger than he had expected, but that wouldn't stop him. It couldn't. He had sacrificed so much, done things he felt so very ashamed of, just for reaching that point. He opened his arms to capture the souls that were stirring frantically under the black surface. Once he would have brought peace on both worlds everything would be forgiven.

"_Please_! Don't tell me that you really believe that crap!" a voice laughed behind his shoulder, making him start. "That's just a nice excuse you are telling yourself to feel better, because you know really well that you are about to make a huge mess!"

He spun around to face the newcomer and his blank expression faltered just for a brief moment as he recognised him. He lowered his arms. "Gabriel" he let out, sounding almost confused.

Gabriel smirked widely, amused. "Yeah! The one and only! You weren't expecting me, were you, little brother? Did you miss me?"

"Lucifer killed you" Castiel stated emotionless, ignoring the provocation hidden in the other's playful tone.

"I'm the Trickster! Or have you forgotten that?" the archangel pointed out, crossing his arms on his chest. Then he turned serious. "Nah, alright. Yeah, Lucy killed me. And it hurt pretty much. But apparently Dad wasn't done with his prodigal son."

"Are you telling me that Father brought you back?" The blue-eyed angel frowned deeply, not convinced at all. He could hear the door calling for him, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from his brother. "_Why_?"

"No idea, bro. I just woke up in the middle of nowhere and had this vision of you going crazy with delusions of grandeur and making this huge mess. And I told myself: "Gotta stop him", so here am I!"

"So He brought you back to prevent me from taking His place? He _abandoned_ us, Gabriel. Our brothers and sisters are fighting each other. Many of them died during an Apocalypse He hasn't helped to stop. And more are still dying now. Some of them by my hand. I must stop this massacre" Castiel stated, his tone hard and determined. "I looked for Him, everywhere. I prayed and prayed for His help but I got no answer. He is gone. Forever. And someone needs to take care of His responsibilities."

"Yeah, of course. Dad left, but He brought you back to life _two_ times, Castiel. He _did_ help you stop Lucy's mess" Gabriel pointed out, sounding oddly patient. "I don't like the idea of my family fighting and dying either. I may have run away, but I still care for all of you. But, trust me, playing God is not the solution. Besides, at what cost? Come on, Cas, you let down your precious Winchester boys!" He shook his head, almost in disbelief. "I remember you back then, when Dad was still with us, before Lucifer's Fall. You always hung around, asking questions, wanting to understand, so full of faith that you made us archangels ashamed because we felt like we didn't believe hard enough. What happened to you, Castiel?"

The angel lowered his eyes. "What happened to me, Gabriel? You should know." He answered harshly. "One of my brothers betrayed us all. Another left without warning soon after. Father abandoned us. I was left to watch the Earth, learning about pain, despair and hate. I started to doubt and then I rebelled. I fought my own family, I killed some of my brothers and sisters. I fell and died more than once. I lost my faith."

The archangel was quite for some moments, struck by the bitterness of those words, but he recovered quickly. "Alright. You have your good reasons to be upset. But, trust me, _this_". He pointed the portal. "isn't the solution to your problems. Look, I understand what you are going through. I really do, because that's how I felt after the whole Lucifer's business and that's why I became the Trickster. But doing this will only bring you more suffering and troubles."

"It needs to be done. It's for a greater good."

"No, Castiel. You are wrong. There may be redemption for you after, if you ask loud enough, but I don't think you'll get forgiveness for what you have done to the people who care about you." Gabriel took a step towards his brother. "I know what I'm talking about. I did a lot of awful things in the last centuries. It was much fun, I can't deny it, but now I see that I lost who I used to be and I regret almost every bit of it. I'm no longer sure that it was worth it. When I fought Lucifer to save Kali and the Winchesters I found my essence once again. For those few minutes I was no longer the pagan Trickster Loki, but I was the archangel Gabriel. And it felt great, like I _belonged_ once again. I found forgiveness because I did the right thing. Being a good guy sucks, but from time to time it can be nice. If you eat those souls, Cas, and do what I saw, you will pass the point of no return. Don't mess up more than you've already done."

Castiel shot him a brief a glance, as if he needed to make sure that he wasn't lying, and then turned away again, but this time he looked no longer hostile. His face wore a shadow of regret and shame and his eyes were darker. "And what do I do? How do I stop Raphael? I'm falling, Gabriel. I'm not powerful enough to stop this war. Some of our brothers and sisters believe in me and I can't let them down!"

"Of course. But they want you to fight, not to become a tyrant." The archangel's voice was filled with a hue of harsh mockery. "What will you do to the ones who don't follow you once you'll have turned into a bad copy of our Father? Imprison them? Kill them? I thought you wanted to stop the suffering of our kind. You would stop the war, but how many lives would you have to end? How many Rachels will you kill?"

"I…I haven't thought about that" the angel confessed, feeling his determination crumbling. His brother was right. But what other choices did he have? He looked up again, staring right into the other's eyes. "However, many lives will be ended anyway. At least I can be sure that this war will be over once I'll be done."

"No one has ever told you that power goes to your head, I guess. Look what happened to Lucy…or to _me_. You have watched mankind for so long, you should know what I'm talking about." Gabriel lifted a hand to prevent his speaker from talking back. "But let's not dwell on issues of general morality. It's tedious and you won't listen to me. Let's talk about more personal matters. What about your dear Dean? You made him almost hate you. Do you think he will ever trust you again if you get to the bottom of this? Do you really think he will be able to forgive you, bro? At least if you stop now you could always prove him that you are really sorry. But if you start playing God you'll no longer be believable. Trust me."

"Dean…He will understand" Castiel stated, but it was clear that he himself was having a hard time believing his own words. "After stopping the war I'll fix Sam's wall and Dean will trust me again. He will finally see that I'm doing everyone's good."

"In your dreams" the archangel snorted. He was losing his patience. He knew that his brother could be stubborn, but he was exaggerating now. And, besides, the more time the portal stayed opened the more likely was that something came out of it. "You wanna know what you'll do? You'll enjoy too much playing God and go around the world forcing people to worship you. You'll turn Heaven into an angel cemetery and you'll become a problem to Sam and Dean. Oh, and in the end you will explode because you can't contain all that power. Not even I could! So stop this shit. You are being too whiny for my likings. Obey your big brother and be a good kid."

"Gabriel, don't…" Castiel started to say, but he was interrupted by a sudden tremor that shook the ground.

The two celestial beings turned just in time to see the surface of the portal exploding with a terrible roar. Black trials erupted from the dark surface and rushed past them, disappearing from their view as quickly as they had appeared. A look of disbelief spread on Castiel's face as his eyes widened in horror. The jar fell from his hands and hit the floor, breaking in a thousand pieces. Gabriel cursed heavily under his breath. He knew that it would have ended that way. He shouldn't have waited so long. Maybe it would have been better if he had just knocked his brother out and closed the door. After that, they would have had all the time to talk. But he had wanted to do the things in the right way and that was the result. Being a good guy really sucked.

"Close that fucking door! _Now_, Castiel!" he shouted, exasperated, and finally he got the response he had been looking for.

The blue-eyed angel obeyed immediately, muttering the spell under his breath and extending his arms towards the black hole. The portal fought his powers hard, draining him, but suddenly Gabriel's hands were on his shoulders and he felt the archangel's Grace flooding through him, adding strength to his own. The door closed with a deafening rumble, leaving the two panting in front of a newly intact mouldy wall.

Gabriel was the first to speak. "What the heck were those things?" he exclaimed, still a little bit out of breath. "They were fucking strong!"

Castiel dropped his gaze on the ground once again. "Leviathans" he muttered quietly. His voice was emotionless, but his expression was dark and pensive.

"Oh, _shit_. More troubles for us…" the other groaned, running a hand on his face. "Wasn't a civil war in Heaven enough?"

"They are my problems. They are my _faults._" He stated, shaking his head. He stepped forward, laying a hand on the blood seal and making it disappear. "I must take care of them. You stopped me, your job is done. You can go back doing whatever you used to do now."

The archangel grabbed his arm. "Don't be an idiot, Castiel. I didn't come here to scold you and then leave you to face all this alone. I've been an awful big brother for long enough. This is my chance to redeem and to make our home less boring" he claimed with determination. "I won't throw it away! Besides, I've never liked Raphael too much. I don't want him to be our new boss."

Castiel stared at him silently for a while then his lips opened and he let out a barely audible whisper: "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know that you have no reason to trust me and…" Gabriel started to say, but stopped abruptly as he realised what the other had just said. He looked at him in disbelief. "Come again?"

"Thank you, Gabriel" the angel repeated, in a louder voice. "I _do _trust you. You've just prevented me from ruining many lives and from losing myself. I owe you. And I'm happy to have you back. I missed you." He rested his hand on the top of his brother's, which was still gripping at his arm. "I am sorry. I was wrong. Forgive me, brother."

The archangel remained quiet, not really knowing how to answer to that show of absolute trust. Those blue eyes were too bright, even for him. Castiel had always been able to feel in a way that should have been impossible for angels, and yet it had always come so natural to him. He almost smiled at the thought. Dad really had to have a soft spot on his weird nerdy son. He cleared his throat, trying to recover his usual cockiness. "I'm not the one who should hear your apologies, Cas" he said, stepping away from the other. He gestured towards the corridor. "Come on, we have two boys and a demon waiting for us. And I can't wait to see the Winchesters' faces when they'll realise that I've come back from the dead!" He smirked. "They'll be _delighted_."

"I thought they couldn't stand you" the other angel pointed out, confused. "Why should they be happy to see you?"

Gabriel felt the strong urge to bang his head against the wall. He bent down and picked up the pieces of the jar, which rebuilt in his hands, and then he handed it to his brother. "I was being _sarcastic_, Cas."

"Oh."

The archangel wondered briefly if Castiel understood what sarcasm was, but he didn't dare to answer. He had already used all his patience in the previous conversation and he had no intention to deal with his brother's inability to get non-literal meanings. He preferred leaving the task to the older Winchester. They walked side by side in silence, but for once after centuries there was no tension between them.

** ж**

Crowley stared at the blood seal wearing an uncertain expression that matched Raphael's puzzled one. The incantation words had had no effect. No flash of light had lit up the room, no roar had torn the air and, especially, no door had opened in front of them. From their place on the floor Dean and Bobby exchanged confused looks. Something obviously hadn't worked, which should have been good news for them, and yet the young hunter couldn't chase away the bad feeling in his guts. Something was off, they just didn't know what yet.

"Mm-hmm…" the demon mumbled, without looking away from the wall. The seal was correct, he was sure of that, so the problem had to be elsewhere. "Maybe I said it wrong."

A flap of wings came from behind his back in that very moment and a voice followed it almost immediately. "You said it perfectly" it claimed flatly as Crowley turned around. "But what you needed was _this_."

The King of Hell eyed the jar that Castiel was holding. "Oh, I see" he commented, sounding almost impressed. He stepped towards the seal and took a bit of blood on his index finger. "And we have been working with…" He licked the red liquid away from his skin. "…Dog blood. Naturally."

The two hunters stared at the newcomer stunned, not knowing what to expect with his sudden appearance. They still couldn't grasp what dangerous game the angel was playing. It was clear that he wasn't going to let Raphael win Heaven, but there was no way he could challenge her in battle either. Dean kept his eyes on the now familiar figure, but his gaze that time wasn't returned. Castiel looked his usual self, but at the same time there was something different in his posture. He seemed more tensed, worried, and in his sky-blue eyes there was a shadow that looked awfully a lot like deep guilt.

Raphael, from her place by Crowley's side, was starting to tremble with rage. She approached her brother threateningly and glared at him. "Enough of these games, Castiel. Give us the blood." She ordered imperatively. "Your game's over."

"His jar's empty, just in case you haven't noticed" the demon politely pointed out, waving his hand in the direction of the glass can. Then he spoke to the angel. "So, Castiel, how's your ritual gone? Better than ours, I'll bet."

"It worked" Castiel offered laconically, never tearing his gaze from his sister.

"So why I don't sense an awfully great power coming from you?" Crowley asked, raising an eyebrow. Why opening the door and then not getting the souls? Wasn't that what the angel had tried to accomplish since the beginning? What had changed? It made no sense to him. He was surely missing something. "Was Purgatory too scary for you, little angel?"

"No, but common sense was very convincing!" another voice claimed and suddenly Gabriel appeared at Castiel's side. "I got there just in time to prevent my younger brother from making the biggest mistake of his sorry life!"

The King of Hell turned towards him, intrigued by the sudden twist of events, a smirk playing on his lips. It seemed that he wouldn't get the power he had been promised, but the angelic family business was proving itself to be entertaining enough to make it up for that. For those who weren't involved in it, of course.

"Gabriel!" Raphael exclaimed, caught off guard. Her eyes were wide with incredulity. "You were dead. Lucifer killed you, I saw that!"

"For the second time, yeah, Lucy killed me. But, apparently, I still had some unfinished businesses here" the other archangel answered, offering her a cocky smirk and patting Castiel's shoulder. "My little brother needed me, so I came back. It makes sense, doesn't it?"

"It doesn't actually. Never heard of an archangel that comes back to life because he has unfinished businesses" Crowley muttered under his breath, but his words didn't go unnoticed.

"Fuck off, Crowley. This is family business. No demon allowed" Gabriel told him, waving his hand quickly. "And you'd better go now that you have the chance to, because I can't guarantee that you'll remain unharmed if you stay longer."

"Since you have asked me so nicely, I'll take your advice" the demon mocked, faking a small bow towards him. "After what I've seen, I don't want to be involved with angels for a while. None of them is a straight shooter apparently. Exit stage Crowley!" And he disappeared before someone could say or do anything.

"So, Raphael, back to business" the archangel said slowly, turning towards their opponent. "What do we do now, bro? Uh, well, _sis_."

"You let that demon go and you are challenging your own brother, Gabriel?" Raphael attacked him, offended. She was wielding her sword now. "You are no better than Castiel!"

"You were the one who attacked Cas first. Just because you were the last archangel left, it didn't mean that you automatically had the right to become the new leader of Heaven" Gabriel talked back, untouched by her rage. He snapped his fingers and his blade appeared in his hand. "Besides, I've chosen a side and I don't want the Apocalypse to happen anymore. So little Cas has my favours now."

"You are in minority, Raphael" Castiel interjected, getting a hold his own weapon in turn. "You have my same alternatives now. Flee or die."

Her gaze hardened, but she lowered her blade. "It's not over, you traitors" she proclaimed firmly. "I'll have your blood on my hands soon." And she was gone in a flap of wings.

"Ah, why did you let her go?! We could have taken care of her here and now!" Gabriel complained with a snort. "She and her minions will surely come after us!"

"We were not ready to face her. I'm still weak from the ritual and you are not in your best shape either" the blue-eyed angel stated emotionlessly. "And besides…" He shot a glance at the two hunters who had watched the whole scene without moving. "…We couldn't risk having a fight here. The consequences could have been nasty."

"I see…" The archangel followed his eyes and stopped on the two humans. A new smirk opened on his face. "Ah, Dean Winchester! You were in a better shape the last time I saw you! You've had a pretty rough time, haven't you?"

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Dean groaned exasperated, finally getting himself up from the floor. "I admit that I've wished for some back-up, but I wouldn't have asked if they had told me that it would have been _you_!"

"How nasty. You wound me!" Gabriel complained, but his grin remained. "I've just saved your sorry ass once again, you should be grateful, Deano."

"Grateful my ass…" the older Winchester muttered with hostility. His eyes met Castiel's and his tone became even harsher. "I wouldn't have needed help if _someone_ hadn't had the awful idea to go and play God, breaking my brother's mental wall in the process!"

The angel lowered his gaze on the floor, looking remorseful. The archangel patted his shoulder once again and threw a nasty glare to the hunter, who stared back with the same amount of distaste. Bobby looked at the three of them and then pulled Dean's T-shirt to get some help to stand up, which the youth instantly offered.

"So, here is the famous angelic Trickster" the older man said, carefully moving the conversation on a neutral ground. "I remember you from that hunt in Springfield. And the boys told me about what you did after. A disloyal opponent."

"In person. Nice to see you again, Bobby Singer! It's true, I don't always play nice. I'm the Trickster not without a good reason" the archangel admitted with a shrug. "But I'm on your side now. Or, rather, we will be all fighting the same things from now on."

"Meaning? We are not getting involved in your fucking angelic business" Dean growled. His stare was once again on Castiel. "Not after what you have done to my brother."

"We are not asking you to fight our war, Dean" the latter spoke quietly. "I have no right to ask you anything. I will still keep my promise and fix your brother somehow, even if at the moment I don't have the power to do it." He couldn't bring himself to meet the young man's eyes. "I…When Gabriel came to me, the door of Purgatory was already opened and something was unleashed in this world. Strong, merciless creatures that will bring devastation on mankind if they are not stopped."

"Ah, great job, Castiel!" The hunter exclaimed incredulous. "Now we have more monsters to deal with! As if I didn't have enough problems. Thanks a lot, man!"

"Hey!" Gabriel warned, preventing his brother from speaking. "He couldn't know. No one could. He shouldn't have opened that portal in the first place, but he was just trying to do the right thing. For _you_ too. We are not omniscient. And we make mistakes as you humans do. So shut the fuck up and leave my brother be."

The human let out a bitter laugh. "The right thing, sure. You mean his own business! And since when you are so protective of your family?"

The archangel ignored the provocation. "Since I'm trying to make up for my past mistakes."

A heavy silence fell on the room. Bobby kept out of the discussion for everybody's sake, even if he was feeling the words twitching on his tongue, pushing to come out. By his side Dean had gone still. He couldn't help the uneasiness that Gabriel's words had left inside him. He understood too well what the other had meant. Everyone in his fucked up family had tried more than once to find a way to make up for their faults. He and Sam were still trying to put up with all they had been through and all they had done to each other. And he also understood why the archangel was acting like that towards Castiel. He would have done the same thing for Sam, even knowing that he was wrong. He would have beaten the crap out of him when they had been alone, but he would have stood up for him in front of the others. Because that was what family was for and because he himself had to make something up to his brother.

Gabriel's hand was still lying on Castiel's shoulder, protective and reassuring. The younger angel shot his brother a confused but grateful glance. He had been taken aback by that sudden change of behaviour, but he had to admit that he had missed having someone so ready to look out for him. The Winchesters had done it in many ways while they were facing the Apocalypse together, but it wasn't the same thing. He had felt close to them, but Gabriel was his real family, the one he had thought lost forever after rebelling.

"Dean! Bobby!" Sam's voice broke the silence and the sound of his hurried steps against the metal staircase echoed in the room. The younger Winchester stopped at the end of the stairs, pale and panting, his eyes locking on the archangel. "Gabriel?" he questioned carefully.

"Heya, Sammy! Oh, you look awful! Worse than Deano here!" the latter commented, studying the human. "Cas made a real mess with you. But don't worry, you'll be fine!"

"Sam!" Dean exclaimed, approaching his brother quickly and ignoring the archangel. "How are you feeling? And don't say fine because I'll send you back to dreamland!"

"I feel…Uh, as if a train had run over me?" Sam offered hesitantly. Then, seeing that the other hunter seemed satisfied with his answer, he looked around the room and asked: "What the heck happened here? Why is Gabriel there? Weren't you dead?"

"Here we go _again._" Gabriel groaned.

"We'll explain later" Castiel interrupted before another discussion started. "We need to get out of here. Raphael could decide to come back with her followers any time. It's not safe."

The three hunters stared at him sceptically. It was clear that none of them was going to trust him any time soon, but he really meant his words. Raphael hadn't been very pleased with what had happened and she would be back as soon as possible to get his and Gabriel's head.

The archangel seemed to guess his thoughts because he immediately agreed with him. "Come on, we'll let you put us in a circle of holy fire as soon as we'll be out of here. But let's get out!"

Dean and Sam exchanged glances, but the one who made the final decision was Bobby. "I hate to say this, but they have a point. I don't like the idea to take a traitor and a trickster to my house, but it's the most intelligent thing we can do right now. We can't risk facing an army of angry angels."

"Ah, alright. Let's go." Dean gave up, not even trying to hide his reluctance. "But I need to get my car back before we leave."

Castiel nodded silently, elbowing Gabriel to prevent him to make one of his awfully misplaced comments. They were walking on thin ice and they couldn't afford any other stupid mistake. They couldn't fight the Leviathans and Raphael alone. They needed allies and he had no intention to ask Crowley for help again, assuming that the demon would talk to him again after what had happened between them. Besides, he wanted badly to show Sam and especially Dean that he was really sorry. He _needed_ their forgiveness.

Gabriel punched his shoulder gently as they followed the older Winchester out of the building, Bobby and the younger behind them, as to make sure that they didn't try anything. He lowered his gaze and his brother met his eyes.

"_We'll fix everything, so stop sulking_" the archangel's voice echoed in his mind.

"_I can't see how_" he answered, his shoulders slumping."_Even if we find a way to send the Leviathans back to Purgatory, we'll have to pay a high price to stop the civil war._"

The other snorted. "_So what?_ _Do you regret not getting that power? Not becoming the new God?_"

Castiel shook his head. "_No_. _I just wish I could believe as I used to…_"


	2. Chapter 2

Hi, guys!

Here's the second chapter of the story. I will try to update once a week if I have enough time to write and review the chapters. Which means it depends on my studies.

So...This chapter is one of the M-rated one (for Sam and Gabe). I know, it's just the second one and maybe it's a little bit premature (I confess I hesitated a bit because I wasn't sure it was such a good idea), but I assure you it's not just gratuitous sexual content. It makes sense (I hope) and it will have a part in the development of the characters' relationship.

Please, comments or critics are very welcome and will make it easier for me to keep on writing! Give me your opinion!

**Warnings**: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.

**Summury:** AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.

The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.

In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.

**Pairings:** Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

><p>The living room was quiet. After explaining Sam what had happened with Crowley and Raphael, Bobby had retired in the kitchen to cook something to eat, leaving the boys alone with the angels, who in the end hadn't been confined in a circle of holy fire. Castiel stood by the window, staring at the wrecked cars in the yard without really seeing them, while Gabriel was sprawled on one of the armchairs, happily sucking a chocolate lollipop. Sam was seated on the couch, fingers pressed against his temples, trying to fight back the visions that haunted his mind, and Dean was restlessly pacing up and down. None of them was in the mood to speak, but the need to ask and explain was really strong.<p>

In the end it was Gabriel who broke the silence. "Cas, sit down. I feel tired for you" he called, patting the armrest. "Come on, you are drained. I can see it."

Castiel shot an uneasy look at the Winchesters, but none of them raised his eyes on him, so he obeyed and sat down next to his brother. He would have preferred staying near the window so that he didn't have to see the two humans, but he was too tired to argue.

The archangel nodded, satisfied, and handed him a bar of chocolate that he had materialized from nowhere. "So, I think it's time to talk about business" he stated, sitting up a little straighter.

"Who tells you that we want to work with you?" Dean talked back, stopping his pacing abruptly.

"We can't fight the Leviathans by ourselves. And neither can you, Dean" Castiel explained quietly, turning the chocolate in his hands and showing no intention of eating it. "We need to join our forces if we want to defeat them."

"Yeah, of course" the hunter mumbled, not convinced at all. "But I don't work with people I don't trust and I don't trust you. Not anymore. What do we do about that?"

Castiel visibly winced at that, so Gabriel spoke in his place. "Well, none of us is a demon but…What about a deal?" he proposed, his eyes falling on Sam. "I can fix your brother, but I want your word that you'll help us dealing with those bastards. For the war, I swear we won't involve you unless you decide to lend us a hand."

The younger Winchester looked up at that. "You could do that?" he asked slowly, eyeing him suspiciously. "How?"

"I'm an _archangel_, even if you all tend to forget that. I still have my powers and you have seen what I can do" he answered, feeling almost offended by the lack of faith in his abilities. "The process is pretty complex, but, in short, I can pick all the pieces up and put them together with my Grace. Easy peasy."

Dean didn't miss the weird look that Castiel shot the archangel. It was obvious that he knew exactly what his older brother was talking about, and from his expression he could say that the angel wasn't completely happy with it. "And how do you plan to do that?"

A sly smirk spread on Gabriel's face. "Oh, that's something I need to discuss with Sammy" he answered cryptically, winking at the younger hunter. "Sorry, Deano!"

"Gabriel? May I speak with you for a moment?" Castiel said quickly before one of the other two could argue. He glared at them. "In private."

The archangel rolled his eyes, but looked up at him and they spent some minutes just staring at each other. It didn't take much to the Winchesters to understand that they were discussing through telepathy or whatever the angels used to communicate among them. Dean felt the strong urge to yell them to speak in a loud voice, but Sam's eyes hold him back. That could be their only chance to fix their problem before it got too bad and they couldn't lose it, even if it meant entrusting its solution in the Trickster's hands.

In the end, Castiel looked away with a frown, but nodded. "Those are our conditions. We are not asking you to trust our words. Gabriel will fix Sam, to show you that we are sincere, and then we will make the deal" he explained, eyes fixed on the floor. "Take it or leave."

"Alright. Do it and then we will take care of the Leviathans together" Sam agreed immediately, gaining a look of disbelief from his brother. "But you won't hide anything from us this time. If you lie, or omit, or whatever, we are out."

"Deal!" Gabriel sang, clapping his hands. He jumped on his feet. "Now, Sammy, we need to do this alone. So, we are going upstairs. Dean, Cas, go and have a walk. I'll be done in two hours."

"Wait! No fucking way! I'm not leaving my brother alone with _you_!" Dean protested loudly.

"Dean, please…" Sam tried to calm him down, but he received a nasty glare as an answer.

"Are you sure that your true main concern isn't that _you _don't want to be alone with _my _brother, Dean Winchester?" the archangel teased, maliciously. "You two have some unresolved issues, I've heard…"

"Gabriel…" Castiel called in a warning tone.

The two angelic beings exchanged some more silent words and then Gabriel lifted his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. No more games" he muttered unhappily. Then he turned towards Dean. "Listen, Winchester. I need to be alone with Sam because the process is complex, as I've already told you, and I need to be completely focused. Besides, it involves invading Sam's _intimacy _physically and especially mentally. I think that your brother would prefer to have some privacy."

The older hunter seemed to consider his words carefully, but the frown on his face stayed. "What do you want to do, Sam?" he asked after a minute of silence. He didn't like the whole thing but the archangel's serious tone had persuaded him that he wasn't going to play some trick on them. "It's about you, so the choice is yours."

"I prefer to be alone with Gabriel if it is better that way" Sam answered with only a little bit of hesitation. He shot a brief look at Gabriel, who nodded at him in approval.

"You sure, Sammy?"

"Yeah, Dean. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"It's settled then" Castiel stated emotionless, getting up from his spot on the armchair rest. "You should eat something and rest for a while, Sam. It will be tiring for you as well."

The younger hunter nodded and left the room for the kitchen, where Bobby was just about to put the food in their plates, followed closely by Dean. The latter shot the archangel another glare before turning away, as to remind him that he still didn't trust the two angels. Gabriel ignored him and sighed, letting himself fall in the armchair once again and bringing the lollipop back into his mouth. Castiel went back to the window, lost in his gloomy thoughts. The sound of the dishes and the more relaxed chatting of the three hunters filled the living room, rushing past them as if they hadn't been really there.

** ж**

Sam's sleep was anything but peaceful. His dreams were full of fire and pain, Lucifer's manic laughter echoing in the background together with his own screams. The smell of burnt flesh filled his nostrils, making him sick, and the smoky heat made his eyes burn and water. He struggled hard, but the chains that tore his limbs apart kept him in place, preventing him from escaping and drawing hot fresh blood out of him. He was aware that it was just a dream, a memory, but everything felt so real that remembering that he wasn't in a living hell anymore was almost impossible. He couldn't wake up, break the torture of his own mind and he was afraid that in the end he would go insane.

"Sam!" a voice called among the flames, so weak that he could have just imagined it. "Dammit, Sam! Wake up!"

Suddenly a soft, gentle warmth was pressed on his forehead, soothing the pain and quickly spreading to his whole body. The burning heat was replaced by a pleasant sensation of coolness and he felt the ache disappear, leaving his limbs light and relaxed. Sam jerked awake, Dean's strong hands preventing him from falling from the sofa where he had fallen asleep, Gabriel's fingers still on his forehead. Castiel was nowhere to be seen.

"Sam, are you alright?" the older brother immediately asked. "I couldn't wake you up."

"Now I am" he replied slowly, letting his brother help him in a seated position. The nightmare had left him even more drained, but the nice sensation that had woken him up still lingered, making him feel a lot better. He turned towards the archangel. "Thank you" he mumbled quietly.

The latter shrugged. "Don't mention it, Sammy-boy" he answered, withdrawing his fingers. "Come on, it's time to fix you once and for all. Bobby said that we can borrow the panic room. Not that we are expecting an attack so soon but…It's safer."

The younger Winchester nodded and Dean freed him from his grip, patting his shoulder. "Bobby has gone to take care of some business in a near town. He won't be back before tomorrow" he informed him. "I'll go and have a walk for the next two hours, but I won't be far. If this prick tries anything, you shout and I'll send him back to Death. Alright, Sam?"

"I'm sure it won't be necessary, Dean" Sam tried to reassure him, while the archangel fought down a laugh. "But thanks anyway."

"Fine. I'm leaving" his brother muttered, sounding not completely convinced. He turned around and walked out of the room.

"Castiel is in the backyard" Gabriel called after him, making him stop on the threshold. "Just in case you wanted to know…"

The young man just stared at him for a moment and then left without a word, but he was clearly heading for the back door. The archangel sighed and shook his head, while Sam shot a worried look to where his brother had been standing.

"I hope they'll be alright" he said with a frown. "Dean is still quite angry with Castiel. We all are, but he is the one who had suffered his betrayal the most. He won't forgive him so easily. And not before saying something really stupid and really painful."

"My brother can take care of himself. Even when Dean Winchester is concerned, you are never wrong if you worry about him. I'll check on him once we'll be done". Gabriel held out a hand for him. "Let's go. I need to explain you a couple of things before we start."

The hunter took it and let the archangel lift him up, then they both headed downstairs. Once in the panic room, he sat down on the edge of the small folding bed and watched the other locking the door with a snap of fingers. Then Gabriel grabbed a chair and sat down in front of him, a bit closer than what was considered appropriate.

"So, Sam" the shorter man spoke, sounding almost amused. A small grin was playing on his lips, but the look in his eyes was deadly serious. "This ritual can be done in two ways. The boring and painful one, or the pleasurable one. I want you to know that I've never told this to my previous…_patients. _I have always chosen the one that I found more appropriate for the concerned person. However, since I have a soft spot on you, so I'm letting you choose. I'm very generous, aren't I?"

"Yeah, thanks, Gabriel." Sam shifted uncomfortably on the mattress. He had a bad feeling about the whole thing. "Since I have to choose, it would be nice if you could tell me how this two methods work" he offered hesitantly. "Don't you agree?"

His uncertainty seemed to amuse the archangel even more. "Yeah, it's fair enough" he answered with a larger smirk. "So. The first method sees me invading by force your pretty brilliant mind and digging around until I find all the pieces of your wall, then putting them together. It's complicate for me and painful for you. Your mind will automatically build some defences against my presence and I'll have to crush them one by one. In the aftermath you'll feel completely drained, nauseous and you'll probably suffer from nasty migraines for a couple of days."

"I'm not really happy with this one" the youth admitted, making a face and resting his palms on his tights. "Oh, by the way. You said you have used this ritual before. Will it work for sure?"

"Yeah. I've never used it to solve a problem like yours actually, but the process is the same anyway. I swear that you'll be fine, no matter which method we use. My Grace has never failed."

"Alright. I believe you. So, what's the second way?"

Gabriel's eyes shone maliciously at that. "Well, with your consent, I'll "shower" you with my Grace, outside and inside, and then we'll let it do its work. You won't feel almost any pain. On the contrary, you'll feel greater than you can imagine. No relevant side effects, and you'll be fresh as a daisy in one day."

Sam opened his mouth to say something, but a terrible doubt crossed his mind. He stared at the archangel astonished and seeing the other's grin becoming wider and wider confirmed his suspects. "Gabriel…Please, tell me that we are not talking about sex" he managed to let out after some moments, distancing himself from his speaker.

"Oh, _indeed_ we are talking about sex, Sammy-boy" the shorter man chuckled, clearly delighted by his reaction. "You are not a shy virgin, so don't make that face. You should have heard about the ecstasy of saints, haven't you? Well, how do you think it works? You humans are too limited to experience angelic Grace in its true form. It would destroy you. So, Father has found a way to convert it in something that you can actually manage. And, among the sensations you can experience, the one that is closer, mentally and physically, to beatitude is having an orgasm. The only difference is the intensity of the feeling, which is much stronger when it's caused by the touch of Grace."

The hunter let out a groan, trying to chase away all the inappropriate images that had come to his mind. "Are you telling me that every time a saint has experienced divine ecstasy it was because he or she was having an intercourse with an angel?"

"Of course not! We are not that promiscuous. We are not demons" Gabriel stated, rolling his eyes. "In those occasions we just envelop the person in our powers. When a soul is touched by our Grace it experiences an explosion of pleasure that in a living and corporeal human is translated into an orgasm. Your case is different. I need to rebuild your mind, and to do that I need to physically lay my hands on you and push my Grace to the core of your soul. Can you see the difference?"

"I think so. Thanks for the lesson" Sam muttered, with a tone that seemed to be saying "you didn't need to be so specific". Then he moved a bit further away from the other. "But I'm still not having sex with you!"

The archangel sighed, but he shrugged. "Oh, what a pity. Fine, we'll go for the boring method then" he agreed without even trying to complain.

The young man raised an eyebrow, puzzled. Was that all? Not even a bit of insistence? There had to be a trick somewhere. He knew too well that Gabriel never gave up easily when he wanted something and he had given him the impression that he would have been more than glad to use the sex in his case. Or maybe had he misread the archangel's interest? That last consideration brought him a pang of disappointment that he tried his best to ignore. "Why aren't you trying to seduce me into sleeping with you?"

"Because this is not just about me fucking you, Sam. It's an ancient ritual and we need to get it right. I have no idea of what the consequences could be otherwise" Gabriel explained calmly. His voice was serious as it had almost never been and he meant every word. He loved playing the Trickster's role and he was an asshole by heart, but he was an angel and spreading sorrow without a real reason wasn't just his thing. Besides, he hadn't lied when he had stated to have a soft spot on the younger Winchester. His soul and mind fascinated him and he had always found him much more entertaining and interesting than most of the humans he had interacted with. In short, he liked the boy, and that was not something that happened frequently. "You must be completely willingly or it won't work. I don't wish to hurt you even more, so it makes no sense to force myself on you". He offered a small smirk and winked. "Even if I would be _infinitely _grateful if you decided that maybe letting me physically take care of you is not such a bad idea, _Sammy_."

Sam let out a small laugh. "That's the Gabriel I know! You were starting to sound like Castiel and it was a bit disquieting…" he commented in a light tone. Then he looked down at his hands, thoughtful. He wasn't very find of the idea of letting an angel having his way with him, but he wasn't eager to experience hours of intense pain followed by days of migraines and nausea either. Besides, this wasn't just a random angel, it was an _archangel _who seemed to have developed some odd kind of fondness for him. And it was _Gabriel_. Dean wouldn't have approved at all, he was sure of this. Most likely he would have to bear his constant complaining for weeks. But this choice concerned him and him only, his brother had no saying in it. It was his mind, his _soul _at stake. He was the one who would have to bear the eventual consequences of his decision. And he was tired of having to suffer to redeem from a sin he hadn't chose to commit. He hadn't asked to be given demon blood when he was six month old, he hadn't asked to be Lucifer's vessel. He shivered at the vivid memories of how hard the withdrawal he had suffered in that same room while detoxifying from the demonic blood had been. He didn't want to go through something similar again, especially if he had an alternative. What he had experience in Lucifer's cage had been enough for his whole life.

Gabriel kept quiet, giving him all the time he needed to carefully judge his options. He could have easily read the hunter's thoughts, but he had promised to his brother to play fair for once and so he restrained his curiosity and kept out of the other's mind. He focused instead on reaching Castiel's Grace, picking up strong signs of uneasiness. Whatever his sibling and Dean were discussing wasn't pleasant for sure. He wondered if he should go and check on them, but he had the feeling that the other angel wouldn't have approved. After all it was something between him and the older Winchester, no one else had the right to interfere.

"Alright. You win" Sam said in that very moment with determination, almost starting him and bringing him back in the room without warning. "Let's do it."

"Come again?" he asked, caught off guard. "You are letting me…?"

"Yeah" the human cut him off before he could end the sentence. The fact that he had chose the more unconventional way didn't mean that he was completely at ease with it. And surely he didn't need to hear what they were about to do from the other over and over again. "Are there any ritual phrases I must recite?"

Gabriel shook his head. "No useless stuff needed this time. It's more straightforward than your usual rituals". He got up from his chair and went to stand right in front of the hunter. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Sam swallowed hard. The archangel's vessels was ridiculously short compared to the powers of the being who inhabited it, but in that moment he felt like Gabriel was towering over him and imposing his presence on the entire room. Their eyes were locked. The sensation wasn't completely comfortable, but somehow it felt strangely reassuring. "Yes" he let out in a quiet whisper.

The shorter man nodded and sat down on his lap, resting his hands on his chest. The younger Winchester immediately tensed, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the other's golden brown eyes. Gabriel leant forward, slowly closing the distance between them, his fingers gripping slightly at his shirt. Their lips touched lightly in chaste kiss that surprised Sam. He had expected the archangel to be much more rushed, but instead he was giving him the time to adapt and accept what was happening. He let his eyelids snap shut and he focused on the feeling of that mouth caressing his own, unconsciously pressing forward to kiss it back. He felt Gabriel smirk against his lips and one moment later a tongue was licking his skin, asking for entrance, while the hands on his chest started to move around, running on his sides and upper arms. He hesitated for some seconds, then surrendered to the silent request and opened his mouth, allowing the archangel to invade it to his likings.

Gabriel didn't have to be invited twice. His grip on Sam's shirt became steadier and he thrust his tongue in the hunter's mouth, forcing a surprised moan out of his throat. He felt the human's body tensing again for a moment, but then the young man's hands found his hips, bringing their bodies closer, so that they were almost flushed against each other, and he let him decide the rhythm of the kiss. He couldn't have asked for a better reaction. He slowed his movements down after the initial rush and gently urged Sam to kiss him back again. The latter willingly complied, their tongues touching and sucking each other eagerly. The archangel felt his power starting to flow naturally from him to the human, who let out another deeper moan in response to the sudden wave of pleasure.

"Oh _fuck_" Sam groaned, a little out of breath, as his mouth was released to allow him to breathe again. "I'm starting to understand much better your little speech about Grace and ecstasy."

Gabriel chuckled in approval. "And that was just a kiss, my dear Sammy-boy. There's still so much waiting for you!" One of his hands slowly travelled down, reaching for the front of the hunter's jeans and making him gasp. "And I thought I was the eager one" he teased, but there was no malice in his tone.

"Shut up, you Trickster" the younger Winchester talked back, but he didn't move away from the other's touch and bent his neck to kiss him again.

As their mouths slid on each other, almost as if one was trying to devour the other every time they met, Gabriel's hands started to travel once again along Sam's upper body, literally deleting the young man's clothes and leaving only hot bare skin after their passage. If he had been conscious enough to understand what was happening, the hunter would have worried about the fact that his clothes were quickly disappearing, but in that moment he was too distracted by the archangel's tongue sucking the breath out of him and by the feeling of his palms on his sensitive flesh. Each touch brought an unknown, more than pleasurable sensation inside him, which seemed to sink deeper and deeper each time, methodically erasing the scars of terror and sorrow that his memories and nightmares had left on his soul.

He felt Gabriel pushing him to make him lie on his back on the bed. He gripped at his shoulder and brought him down with him, realising that the shorter man had got ridden of his own jacket and shirt in turn. The feeling of their bare chests pressed together was amazing and Sam couldn't help moaning a stream of curses as the angelic Grace soaked his skin together with the archangel's body heat. The latter chuckled from above him and sat up right on his crotch, tilting his head and offering him a smirk that boded nothing well.

"Gabriel…" he managed to say while catching his breath, but he only obtained to amuse the archangel even more.

Gabriel winked at him, sticking his tongue out, and snapped his fingers. The hunter let out a loud gasp as the last layers of clothes that still covered him disappeared, leaving his skin to make direct contact with the sheets, that were strangely warm, and especially with the rough material of the archangel's jeans. The other seemed to have enjoyed the noise he had made because he pushed his hips forward, rubbing shamelessly against Sam's most sensitive parts and forcing other strangled moans from his lips.

"Son…of ah…_bitch_!" the young man hissed, biting his lower lip to prevent more embarrassing noises to leave his mouth. Never in his life, apart from the time spent in Lucifer's cage, had he felt so much. It was almost unbearable, but in a positive way. Whatever the angelic powers were doing to him, they had sharpened his senses beyond the human limits and he felt overwhelmed by the various sensations that invaded his mind. It was terrifying because everything was totally out of his control, but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to fear. Oddly he had never felt so much at ease in a similar situation, completely bare, mind and body, in front of another person. Not even with Jess, when they cuddled after making love or when they shared simple gestures of daily intimacy. Gabriel was making him feel so safe and comfortable that it was disquieting.

The archangel stopped his movements, allowing him to come back to the present, and leant down, resting his elbows on his chest. "I always thought that your brother was the swearing type" he commented, amused. "But apparently it must run in the family."

"And I thought you said you needed to be completely focused for this ritual" Sam pointed out, trying to breathe deeply. "Aren't you playing a bit too much?"

"Oh, aren't you enjoying my attentions? I think you are" the shorter man teased, his fingers caressing the area around one of his nipples. He pinched it without warning, drawing another gasp from him. "Besides, Sammy, I can assure you that I'm completely focused". He lowered his head so that he was speaking right in his ear. "I'm totally focused on _you_."

The hunter felt himself blush furiously at that, something that hadn't happened to him in years, but he was too distracted by the feeling of Gabriel's hot breath on his skin to care. He was also slowly becoming aware of the maddening pressure in his most intimate parts, which were still pressed against the course fabric of the other's jeans. If that damned archangel didn't hurry up and done something, he would explode.

He lifted one hand slowly and let it wander on Gabriel's chest, feeling the strong muscles under the incredibly soft skin. He had never been with a man before and it felt different from what he was used to, but it didn't scare him off. The feeling of a warm body against his was the same, with the addiction of the effects of the Grace. His fingers reached the archangel's hair and dived into it as he brought the other's head down for another kiss, receiving a more than enthusiastic response that made him moan and gasp once again, as the angelic power sunk even deeper in his soul. He was starting to think that he had made the right choice after all.

Gabriel let his tongue wander in the hunter's mouth for a while, carefully licking any part of it he could reach, and then broke the kiss. "Alright! Time for foreplay is up!" he announced in a cheerful tone, sitting up again and moving downward, so that his thighs were now resting Sam's. "Please, try not to freak out from now on."

The younger Winchester felt the urge to cover his now exposed private parts, but forced himself not to, placing instead his hands on the archangel's still clothed legs. He wasn't a prude virgin and he had no intention of offering the bastard another reason to make fun of him. Gabriel was obviously playing with him, but he could sense no malice in his ways. It had to be his odd way to try to put him at ease before they got to the most intimate part of the ritual. He hid a small grin. As soon as he had recovered he would tease the archangel for having been so caring and nice with him. Oh, sweet revenge.

"I'll try" he answered, ignoring the provocation, and when the shorter man's serious eyes locked in his own he felt a hint of nervousness in his gut.

"Just relax and let me take care of you, Sam" Gabriel whispered and then his mouth was pressed hotly on the hollow of Sam's throat, licking and sucking the skin hungrily.

The hunter yelped, caught off guard by the sudden rush, but didn't have the time to protest because one second later the archangel was completely naked in turn and _everywhere _on his body. He felt skilled fingers brushing every spot of his chest and limbs, tangling in his hair and caressing his face, while lips tightened firstly around his nipples and then moved on his own to steal heated kisses. Gabriel's tongue seemed to want to devour his whole skin, leaving behind hot wet trails that got lower and lower. He was trembling with pleasure, unable to control the sounds and the broken words that came out of his throat as he felt something building up inside him. The feeling was similar to the one that preceded a climax, but at the same time was completely different. It was awfully physical but it transcended his flesh, ripping his whole being apart with an explosion of joy and delight.

When Gabriel took him in his mouth, hands gripping hard at his ass, the little control he still had was shattered completely and he found himself moaning and groaning louder than he had ever had. He barely noticed when lube-slicked fingers started to tease his entrance, after having danced on his sweaty body, and he felt just a little bit of discomfort when three of them slipped one by one inside him, stretching and teasing.

"_Jesus Christ_!" he swore in a high voice as the archangel hit a particular spot, gripping at the sheets so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Not quite, Sammy" the shorter man chuckled, licking his belly button playfully. "But still God's son!"

"Fucking archangel…" the younger Winchester managed to say, but then the other pressed against his prostate harder and he lost the train of his thoughts. "_Gabriel_!"

"That's me, Sammy" Gabriel mumbled in a gentle tone, removing his fingers and forcing a disappointed groan out of the human. "I've got you, I've got you."

The hunter's hands grabbed his hips as the archangel plunged into him maddeningly slowly. Sam cried out, screaming in pleasure, and his mind went a bit blanker at each rough thrust. The angelic Grace washed over him with force, drowning him in a blinding light that crept inside the cracks of his haunted mind, healing them one by one. The pain and the despair he had experienced in Lucifer's Cage became a horrible but far memory and the fallen Morningstar's laughter was replaced by Gabriel's panting breath in his ears.

His body shuddered violently, overwhelmed by a pleasure he couldn't take and he reached his climax in an explosion of light, the archangel's name on his lips in a silent prayer. His limbs tensed in a painful spasm and he felt Gabriel coming inside him, whispering his name in response to his invocation. He could have sworn that the voice he had heard coming from the other's lips was different from his usual one. It was an unearthly symphony he couldn't describe with words, a chant made of beautiful voices and clear sounds of musical instruments. The archangel's true voice. He realized that there were tears rolling down his cheeks and for a moment he thought there were galaxies slowly dancing before his eyes.

Gabriel went still on top of him and Sam felt his limbs immediately relax as his mind stayed blank, enveloped in a pleasurable numbness and at peace with the whole creation. He smiled softly, not completely aware of where he was and of what he was doing, and maybe even of who he was, and snuck his arms around the archangel's waist, enjoying the feeling of the other's fingers drying the tears and the sweat from his skin.

They remained like that for a while, in a comfortable silence. Gabriel kept on drawing Enochian symbols on the young man's hot skin, whispering ancient words against it. The ritual did involve some formulas after all, but Sam didn't need to worry about that. He needed the human's brain to be completely focused on the healing force of his Grace. The rest was just a detail. When he was done he settled more comfortably against Sam's chest and closed his eyes, finally letting himself enjoy the aftermath in turn.

Some minutes passed slowly, lingering in the air that smelt of sex and incense, then the peaceful atmosphere was broken by the sudden sound of steps hitting the stairs. The archangel groaned, annoyed by the intrusion, but in one moment he was out of the human's embrace. He snapped his fingers, getting his body clean and his clothes back, and then carefully threw the sheets over Sam, to keep him warm and to cover his still naked body.

He sat down on the bed and, one second later, the door was flung opened and a clearly distressed Dean made his entrance in the room. The older Winchester moved his gaze from Gabriel to his still dazed brother, eyes widening in disbelief. "What the _fuck_?!" he exclaimed incredulously and the archangel did his best not to laugh in his face.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey there!

I'm back, a little late this time. Sorry about that, I've been busy...

So...Chapter 3 is basically what happens between Dean and Castiel while Sam and Gabriel are discussing the healing ritual. But things between them are far away from being fixed. Moreover, we get to see Charlie and Crowley in the final part too!

I really hope someone is enjoying the story. Thanks a lot for following and favouriting the story, I appreciated it! If you could spare a moment to give me an opinion it would be gold! Just to know if I'm writing something decent!

**Warnings**: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.

**Summury:** AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.

The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.

In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.

**Pairings:** Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

><p>Dean found Castiel standing in the backyard as Gabriel had told him. The light breeze made his trench coat flutter, the sound reminding him of wings flapping. The angel was completely still, apparently lost in his own thoughts, and did nothing as he approached him, but the hunter knew that he was aware of his presence. Cas always was. He stopped almost by his side.<p>

"Castiel" he called, without looking at him after some more moments of silence. His voice was harsh, but emotionless. He saw the angel immediately turning towards him with the corner of his eye. "Walk with me."

He moved forward and Castiel instantly followed, striding silently next to him. They weren't touching, but as usual they were closer that necessary, and it annoyed Dean more than it used to. He couldn't stand the fact that, after everything he had done to them, the angel still acted as if they were cool. He was aware that the other probably didn't knew any other way to behave around him, but that knowledge made his irritation grow even more instead of soothing it. The bastard wasn't even trying to be different, to show some shame. It was like Castiel didn't understand the seriousness of what he had done, the real extent of the harm he had caused. A part of him knew that it wasn't true, had caught the deep hurt and the burning regret in the angel's stormy eyes, had seen his desperate need of forgiveness. However he had shut it up, ignoring it. He was furious, and he needed a scapegoat on which he could unload his anger and sorrow. And Cas was just the perfect target.

"Dean…" Castiel tried after some minutes of silence.

"_Don't_. Just don't. I don't want to hear it, whatever you are going to say" the hunter interrupted curtly. He turned towards his speaker just in time to see him slumping his shoulders and lowering his gaze. His annoyance grew at the sight. "And don't look like that. You are not the victim here. You messed up and now you must face the consequences of your actions."

"I'm sorry, Dean" the angel mumbled again, but his eyes stayed on the ground. He could feel the human's burning stare on him and the hurt hidden under the anger made him feel unworthy and deeply ashamed of his whole existence. He had failed completely, both himself and the people who trusted him.

"Being sorry is not enough, Castiel. Do you know what you have done? Can you understand it? Or your fucking being-an-angel shit doesn't allow you to get the real meaning of your actions?" Dean attacked him, stopping abruptly and grabbing his shoulder to force the other to face him. He wanted to punch him, to dig his nails in his flesh until he drew blood out of it. The angel could have easily overpowered him, but he knew that right now he would have just taken anything without complaining. "Damn you, Castiel! You…Everyone in my fucking life has let me down. My father, my brother, the people I've worked with, the few serious relationships I had. And then…You came. You've got me out of Hell, you've given up everything for me. You've fucking fought your own kind for my sake! And you've always believed in me, no matter what, even when _I_ stopped to believe in myself. And so I thought…I thought that finally I had met that one person that I could trust without doubt. I even dared to call you _family_…"

"Dean…" Castiel whispered, finally lifting his eyes to meet Dean's, his voice full of sorrow and guilt. "I…"

"Shut the fuck up! I'm not done, you fucking angel" the young man growled angrily. "And don't you dare to look away. I want people to look at me while I'm talking to them." He dug his fingers deeper in the other's shoulder, hard enough to bruise. "I thought wrong. Because you've let me down in the worst way possible. You played me and my family. You used us, lied to us, while you were plotting with a _demon_. You didn't bring Sam back for me, you did it because you needed someone to get the Alphas for you so that you could find your precious Purgatory!" He released his grip and shoved the angel away, unable to bear touching him any longer. "I didn't want to believe it when Bobby and Sam told me that you were trying to trick us. I argued with them, I stood up for _you_ because I couldn't accept the truth. And what was your way to show me gratitude? You destroyed my brother's mind just because we have tried to make you see that your fucking plan was a folly!"

Castiel remained silent this time, forcing himself not to look away. He couldn't bear those words and especially he couldn't bear the dark emotions that they carried with them. They burdened his chest and each one felt like an angelic blade stabbing him. The urge to disappear, to fly away was strong. But he couldn't. Dean was right, he had to face the consequences of his actions. He would take all the pain and the hatred that the hunter would give him if it could help soothing the other's suffering. The only thing he could offer now was himself as a target for the human's destructive emotions. And no matter how much it would make him suffer. He would let each word sink deeply inside him and would watch his chances to be forgiven crumble without fighting for them. Because, perhaps, he didn't deserve anyone's forgiveness. Neither his Father's nor, especially, Dean's. That was the price for being guilty of pride.

"Tell me how can I be sure now that all your previous sacrifices didn't have an ulterior reason? How can I trust you again? How can I know that all your words aren't nothing but lies and deceits?" the older Winchester went on, clenching his fists until his nails were digging into his palms. "How can I trust anyone just a little now that you, the one who was supposed to be my guardian, the _only_ person that I fully trusted in my sorry life, have betrayed me so deeply? Now I see shadows anywhere. I have to check everything myself before being sure that it's actually true. I can't trust anyone to watch my back on a hunt, not even my brother. Can you see what you have done to me, Castiel, angel of the Lord?"

The title was spat out in a cruel mocking tone that made the angel internally wince. He remembered well their first true meeting, when he had introduced himself with those exact words. Dean had claimed that there were no such things as angels and had stabbed him with the knife he and Sam used to kill the demons. So much time had passed since that day, they had been through so much. He could have never imagined how things would go between the two of them when he had first laid his hand on Dean in Hell to save him. He, who had always been a perfect soldier of Heaven, had found himself playing the part of the traitor to stand by a human's side, had found himself falling because of that same human and not minding it as much as he should have. He had died twice for him and he was ready to do it again. Through Dean he had learnt what Lucifer had never been able to see and what his brothers and sisters couldn't really understand. He now knew why his Father had loved humankind so much, in spite of all its faults and flaws.

That thought left a bittersweet taste on his tongue. He had learnt to love mankind and for that reason he couldn't let Raphael to start the Apocalypse again and bring Heaven on Earth. It would be the destruction of the world as Dean and the others knew it. Their kind was already suffering too much, he couldn't allow more destruction and sorrow to fall on its shoulders. They deserved a second chance to build their own paradise, without the angels having a say in it. He had acted with the purpose of protecting the humans, but now he saw that he had just obtained to force himself on his friends, showing himself to be not so different from the brother he was fighting. But his intentions had been good.

"Answer me, Castiel!" Dean exclaimed, interrupting the trail of his thoughts without warning. "I should have known, shouldn't I? I am aware that angels are all motherfuckers, but I wanted to believe that you were different. That you were a bastard, but a _nice_ one. I was wrong, wasn't I? You are exactly like your siblings!"

"I am not!" the angel talked back, the words slipping from his lips before he could realise it. His tone was darker than usual and he was starting to feel his own anger blooming among the shame. "I am guilty, Dean. I won't deny it. I've sinned, I've mistaken, I've betrayed. But I didn't mean any harm. All I wanted was to prevent Raphael from starting the Apocalypse again."

His reaction made Dean flare up even more. He grabbed him by his coat and pulled hard. "How? Playing _God_? What would have happened if that damned Trickster hadn't showed up? What would have _you_ done?" he snorted, shoving him away once again. "You said you'd have fixed Sam. But how can you blame me for not believing you? What if all that power had gone to your head? You would have become just another monster we'd have to destroy. I don't care if your intentions were good. I don't _fucking_ care. The only thing that is clear to me is that you didn't value us…_me_ enough to come and tell me everything. You felt the need to act behind my back and didn't value my word on the matter at all. You tried to force me to do what you wanted me to do. You threatened me. This is what you did wrong. I myself have once told you that maybe you should be the one to play the sheriff up there, because I trusted the person I thought you were. But I got that wrong too."

Castiel took a step forward and reached out for him. "Dean, I know I don't deserve to ask your forgiveness, but, please, you have to believe me when I say that everything I have done I did it also for you" he pleaded, his voice faltering. "I repent of my errors and I'm asking for your help to fix them. Do this for me and I will disappear from your life. You'll never see me again."

"Don't touch me!" the hunter growled, slapping his hand away, almost disgusted. Then he let out a bitter laugh. "You really don't understand, do you? I've already made a deal with that prick of your brother, so I will help you with the Leviathans. But I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it because saving people is my job. It won't fix things between us. Even if you disappeared, it wouldn't be enough. God, even if you died it wouldn't change anything. What is done is done, Cas. You can't erase it."

"What do you want me to do then?" the angel asked opening his arms in surrender. "How can I sooth your sorrow? I'd give my life for you and you know it."

Dean shot him a nasty look. He would never understand how that guy could say those embarrassing things with so much ease. He looked away, feeling frustrated. He knew that Castiel was telling the truth. The angel's devotion for him was still strong and there, even after all he had just said. He ran a hand on his face. "You can't do anything, Cas. I just want my nerdy angel friend back. And you aren't him. Not anymore."

The other stared at him blankly, but he could easily read the confusion in his posture. He wasn't surprised to see that the angel hadn't understood what he meant. He had always been quite clueless when it came to deep human meanings. Once he found it quite amusing, but now it was painfully exasperating. "Listen, Castiel…" he started with a sigh, but he was interrupted.

"You are right, Dean" Castiel said quietly, his blue eyes shining again with a new determination. "Now I know what I need to do. I'll be back once I'm ready." And he disappeared in a flap of wings, leaving a very astonished hunter behind.

The older Winchester let out a groan. What the hell was that idiotic angel thinking now? They were about to face another conflict, he couldn't just wander off like that. Where had he gone? And what had he meant with those words? "Castiel! Come back! Whatever you've understood, it was not what I meant!" he called back, even if he had the feeling that he wouldn't get an answer. "What about the Leviathans? Damn you, Cas, come back!"

He kicked the nearest thing, letting out a heavy curse. Fucking angel. He never did what he expected him to do. He wandered around the yard for a while, but he had to admit to himself that Castiel wasn't coming back any soon. So he had better find something else to do. Like checking on his brother. He realised in that moment that he had completely forgotten about Sam. He mentally punched himself. How could he have let the fact that his younger sibling was stuck alone with a Trickster slip away from his mind? Castiel was driving him crazy, more than he usually did.

He turned around and walked quickly towards the house, hoping that Sam hadn't been in need of his help while he was busy arguing with the angel. When he crossed the threshold the building was completely silent, but it didn't reassure him at all. He immediately headed downstairs and, without bothering to knock, he unlocked the door of the panic room and flung it open.

The sight that met his eyes left him completely speechless. His brother was sprawled on the folding bed, eyes closed and crumpled sheets covering his otherwise naked body, while Gabriel was sat at the end of the mattress, his back against the wall and a huge smirk on his face.

"What the _fuck_?!" he exclaimed incredulously after a few seconds of gaping.

The archangel bit down his lip not to laugh and Sam cracked one eye opened to look at him. The younger Winchester beamed in recognition, something Dean hadn't seen him doing since when they were kids, and waved a hand to him. "Hey, Dean!" he greeted dreamily.

He turned towards Gabriel. "You son of bitch!" he roared, sounding astonished and furious at the same time. "You _fucked_ my little brother?!"

"I didn't" the other answered quickly, in the same moment when Sam said: "Oh _yeah_, he did." LOL

"It's better if you go back to sleep, Sammy" Gabriel mumbled, glaring at the younger hunter who smiled meekly at him in response, not really aware of the tension that had filled the room.

Dean's stare became if possible even more murderous. "What have you done to him, you prick?" he growled taking a step towards the shorter man. "And don't you dare to put him to sleep with one of your angel tricks!"

"It's just the side effect of the Grace I used to heal him. His wall is back in place and it's even stronger if possible" the archangel explained calmly. "He will be himself again in a few hours. No need to get so pissed off, Winchester!"

"Oh, I'm not pissed! I'm fucking going to kill you! You took advantage of Sam!" he shouted, pointing at his brother, who looked at him confused.

"I didn't take advantage of him!" Gabriel protested loudly. "Who do you think I am? Trickster or not, I'm still an angel. I don't go around raping people!"

"He's telling the truth, Dean. I agreed to this" Sam nodded grinning widely. "And it was awesome! The _best_ sex I had in my life."

Dean's eyes widened in horror at that and he groaned covering his eyes with a hand. "I didn't need to know that" he muttered exasperated. Then he turned towards the archangel. "I changed my mind. Put him to sleep, my mental sanity doesn't need other shocks."

"With pleasure" the latter answered and he rested to fingers on the younger hunter's forehead, making him fall asleep instantly.

The older Winchester paced around the room for a minute, trying to calm himself down, before speaking again. "I will need time to digest…_this_". He waved a hand towards the bed. "So let's not talk about it again for now. Just…Did it work? Is he fine now?"

"Yes. He is good. No more too realistic nightmares or comas or hallucinations" the archangel assured, getting up in turn. He looked quite happy to let the subject go. He didn't want the human to ruin his mood. "He just needs to sleep."

"Good" he nodded, glancing at his sleeping brother again. Seeing him so relaxed and peaceful made him smile in spite of everything. Sam had been looking troubled and tormented for too much time during the previous years, since Jessica's death. He deserved a break from all the shit they had to face every day. "Let's let him rest then."

Gabriel nodded and followed him out of the room, shutting the door behind him. "Speaking of younger brothers, where's mine?" he questioned raising an eyebrow. "You weren't wearing a happy face when you have joined us."

Dean couldn't meet his eyes. "Castiel is gone."

The other stared at him incredulous. "Gone? What do you mean by _gone_? You let him wander off by himself with all those angels who want him dead?"

He threw his hands up. "Listen, it wasn't my fault. We were talking and then…He said something weird and just disappeared. I don't know where he is. And I didn't tell him to leave, before you ask. I…I'm furious with him, but I don't want him to die."

"But you don't care enough to prevent him from risking his life" the archangel snorted, rolling his eyes. "What did you tell him to make him react that way, apart from your usual shit?"

"I…I just told him that he couldn't do anything to fix what he had done and that I wished I could have the old Cas back" the hunter answered, his voice suddenly becoming slightly unsure. "He said something about the fact that he knew what to do and that he would come back and then he disappeared. I have no idea of what he was talking about."

"Oh, great. Well done, Winchester" Gabriel growled, glaring at him, his eyes shining with power. "I swear that, if something happens to Castiel, I'll consider you responsible and you'll have to deal with me". And he was gone without waiting for an answer.

Dean stared at the spot where he had been and then sighed, mentally cursing the day in which he had discovered that Heaven existed and that the angels were all assholes. He went in the living room and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, without bothering to get a glass. If Sam could spend his day of rest enjoying happy angel-induced sleep, he could freely waste himself with alcohol. He needed to forget for a while about everything, especially about broken sky-blue eyes.

** ж**

Charlene pulled out the keys of her small apartment from her bag and unlocked the door with a sigh. She removed her wet jacket and hanged it in the corridor, throwing her Star Wars umbrella on the floor. She didn't mind the rain, but she totally hated it when it started to fall without warning, threatening to soak not only her but her laptop as well. She carefully extracted the latter from its case and put it on the table. It seemed fine and _dry_. Luckily for her the tragedy had been avoided once again.

She nodded satisfied and headed for the bathroom, getting rid of her wet clothes in the process. The water became hot in a short time and she spent a good half an hour enjoying a nice shower. The heat washed away the cold and the tension from her limbs, leaving her relaxed and much happier. She enjoyed working for Richard Roman Enterprises, but at times she couldn't help thinking that her bosses were constantly breathing down her neck and it made her nervous. Despite her laid-back attitude, she was a private person and she didn't like when someone intruded into her life without her consent.

Charlie got out of the shower and wrapped a big fluffy yellow towel around herself. She smiled at her reflexion in the mirror as she rubbed her hair with another one. She had already finished her work for the day, which meant that she could spend the whole evening caring for her hobbies and finally watching Games of Thrones newest episode. The file had been waiting for her for almost three days.

She left the bathroom tying her hair up in a messy chignon and stopped in the kitchen to make herself some hot chocolate. Then, with the cup in her hand, she moved back in the small living room, eager to switch her TV on. But when she entered the room she found that it wasn't empty anymore. A man in his late forties was standing in front of one of her posters, studying the drawing attentively. He was wearing a fine black suit that fitted his somehow regal posture. Charlie let out a surprised gasp and her free hand gripped the edge of her towel.

The stranger turned around and offered her a smile that looked awfully like a malicious grin. "What interesting pieces of art you have here, Miss Middleton" he commented gesturing the posters. "But they are not exactly my cup of tea."

The young woman stared at him for some more seconds, then she let out a deafening scream and threw the still steaming cup at him. Who the hell was that? And how did he know her real surname? The mug crushed against the wall in front of which the man had been standing. Charlene look around, eyes wide in surprise. He had disappeared before her. And she had just destroyed her favourite Lord of the Rings mug.

A polite fit of coughing made her turn around and she found herself once again facing the stranger. He was still wearing his sinister smile and she could have sworn that his eyes were glowing with a soft red light.

"Is this how you usually welcome guests, miss?" he asked mockingly. "I guess that part is my fault since I haven't introduced myself. My name is Crowley and I'm the current ruler of Hell."

She blinked at him, confused. "Wait a moment. Is this some kind of reality show? A trick?" she questioned suspiciously. "And, besides, I've always thought that the Devil's name was Lucifer."

"Well, Lucifer is back in his Cage so I took the leadership in his place. You know, if you are smart enough you can have a successful carrier in Hell too. All you need are the right qualities and the right allies" he explained nonchalantly. "And no, my dear Charlene, this is not a show, it's reality. I'm here because you will soon be able to offer me some valuable help. May I sit down? And you don't mind if I have a drink, do you? I guess you don't have any fine liquor here."

She shook her head, gesturing him to make himself at home, and took some steps back to let Crowley go past her. His eyes never left her as he took a sit on the small green sofa and made himself comfortable. He waved his hand a little and a bottle of Craig scotch appeared on the plastic coffee table together with two already filled glasses. He took one and pushed the other towards Charlie, who however made no move to take it.

"If you really are the _new_ Devil, I guess there's no point in asking you how you know my real name" she said carefully, approaching the couch a bit. What she had just heard was clearly impossible, but she had just seen the man teleporting himself from one side of the room to the other. She didn't know what demons could do, but she was sure that no real human could make something appear from nowhere. Whatever was going on it was surely dangerous, so the best thing she could do was trying not to piss her unexpected guest off. "I don't understand. What could an IT employee do for the ruler of Hell?"

"Well, I'd really like to create some kind of informatics database to help me classifying the souls and the demons that are under my watch, but this is not why I came here" he replied as he sipped his drink, in a conversational tone that prevented the young woman to understand if he was kidding or not. "I'm interested in your boss, Mr Roman."

"I…I've never met him" she quickly informed him. She smiled awkwardly, her lips stretching hysterically. "I'm just an employee, and he is the great boss. I just get his emails, from time to time. The kind of emails that they send to all the employees, you know."

"I know. But he will contact you soon once he will have noticed your unique brilliance. Well, it won't be exactly him the one to contact you…" the demon said cryptically, putting on a frown. "Anyway. I want you to inform me when it happens. And to let me in on their plans. Obviously I don't expect you to work for me for free. We can negotiate your reward. I'm pretty powerful, so you can ask almost whatever you want. And, of course, you'll have my protection against any possible threat."

Charlene raised her hands, now openly confused. "Wait a second…Mr Crowley. _Their_ plans? And what did you mean when you said that it won't be _exactly _Roman who will contact me? What's going on?"

"Oh, you are as smart as I thought. Good. I don't like dealing with dumb people. It's frustrating" Crowley commented, sounding oddly satisfied. "You see, yesterday a friend of mine…Well, he's not exactly a friend. Anyway, he opened the door of Purgatory and freed some creatures called Leviathans. They are pretty powerful and I wish to have…how to say…the right _means_ to offer them my partnership. As the King of Hell I need to preserve myself and my influence here on Earth. And with the Leviathans around it would be difficult, unless I team up with them. Can you understand? It's just business."

The young woman stared at him for a long time, digesting the information she had just received, while the demon kept politely quiet, busying himself with his glass of scotch. In the end she took a deep breath and finally reached for her own drink taking a big gulp, which caused her to cough for a while.

"So, let me see if I got it right" she managed to say, her voice still a bit hoarse for the liquor. "This Leviathan that has taken Richard Roman's place will call me to force me to work for them. And you want me to double-cross them so that I can inform you of what they want to do. With that information you'll be able to come up with something that will allow you to do business with them". She received a nod of approval. "Are you sure that this is real life?"

"Yeah, pretty much, my dear Charlene" Crowley nodded, amused by her reaction. The girl had reacted pretty well, if he pretended to forget about the cup that had been thrown at him. She was quick and smart, so she would surely be up to the job. However, he had to be careful with her. She wouldn't be happy to find out that the Leviathans had in store nothing good for the humans and that could make him lose his precious spy. But after all he himself knew very little about what the Purgatory creatures were up to. The only thing he could do was to wait and see, and of course to be prepared for anything. Patience had never been his better quality, but for once he would have to constrain his impatience and let the events do their course. He was sure that Castiel and his companions would make their move soon, and there was also the question of what Raphael would do about the Leviathans issue. Knowing the archangel, she wouldn't just sit and watch as they took possession of the planet, preventing her from starting her precious Apocalypse. There were many matters of uncertainty, and that was why he needed to choose his moves in advance. And Charlene Bradbury alias Middleton was one of them.

"So…?" the young woman offered tentatively, looking at him expectantly.

"So you need to tell me if you are in or out. Obviously once you say "yes" there's no going back from our deal" he answered matter-of-factly. "Do you need more persuasion? I can be pretty convincing. Shall we discuss your reward perhaps?"

Charlene shook her head. "Stop for a moment, Mr Devil" she said crossing her arms on her chest. She was starting to feel cold, but there was no way that she would trust the King of Hell alone with her belongings. Besides, a part of her initial fear had faded as soon as she had adapted to that strange presence that had invaded her living room and she was feeling more daring. "I won't agree to any deal until I have a better view of what is going on. I want to know what I'm getting myself into before playing the spy of the new Lucifer. We can discuss a trial period before signing a real deal. 'Cause there's no way I'm trusting the Devil, even if he is dressed so nicely and is so well-mannered. What do you say, Mr Crowley?"

The demon pretended to be considering her words for a moment. That was what he had feared. That human wasn't so easily manipulated as her kind usually was. Not too bad, a good challenge was always nice from time to time. Besides, he could come up with other uses for her. Who knew, maybe she would turn out to be a useful weapon against the Winchesters. He smirked to himself. He could afford to give her some more liberties. "Alright, Charlene. You'll have you trial period if this is what you need. However, I'd like you to do something for me in return. Just to make sure that you are up to the job" he agreed in the end, joining the point of his fingers. "And please, you don't need to use that "Mr". We'll be partners soon after all, don't you agree?"

"Fine…Crowley" she nodded, feeling a bit awkward while pronouncing the name in such an informal manner. But who could blame her? The Devil had just asked her to call him as if he was one of her buddies. "What kind of job is it?"

The demon's grin widened. "Nothing difficult or dangerous. I just want you to meet some people and make friends with them. I'll give you the right cover" he answered briefly. "You have the weekend free this week, haven't you?"

Charlie bit back the urge to ask how he knew her timetables. "Yeah. But I already have another engagement…". Crowley raised an eyebrow at her and she immediately made up: "But I can always cancel! I mean, it is just a convention!" One she had been waiting for since her twentieth birthday, but she didn't say that.

"Good. I'm sure we'll get along, Charlene" the King of Hell claimed satisfied as he got up. "Well, I guess I'll leave you to your free evening, my dear. See you in two days". He shot a look at her half-naked body. "And try not to catch a cold. It would be annoying." And with that he was gone, together with the scotch.

The young woman let herself fell on the sofa, letting out a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. That was pure madness. She had just been hired by the Devil. And she was starting in two days. In that moment the newest episode of Game of Thrones didn't seem so important. She grabbed her laptop and switched it on. She had better do some research since she had the chance. She had no idea of what would happen next, but she had better prepare herself anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey there, guys!

Here am I! On time this week...But I can't promise that it will always be like this! Sorry...Anyway, I wanted to give you all a V-day present, even if i really don't do Valentine's day. Just...I hope that whoever of you care about it have/had a nice day!

Back to the story. This chapter is mostly an aftermath of the previous, both for the Winchesters, who still have to keep on hunting while waiting to find a way to fix the current mess, and for Charlie, who has got her "trial period". And Cas? Well, you won't see him in this chapter...Maybe in the next one! He has his own plot line from now on.

One more thing. I've realised that I've never explained the meaning of the title. It's quite "simple" to tell the truth...As I said in the introduction to the first chapter, the plot revolves mostly around the relationships among the characters with particular attention on the themes of trust and faith. The blue irises symbolically represent these two themes. So the title is basically a metaphor.

Alright, I'll leave you to the story! Thanks a lot to all the readers! I really appreciate your interest!  
>Please, if you can and feel like, leave me a comment! It will help me understand if I'm doing good or not!<p>

Enjoy!

**Warnings**: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.

**Summury:** AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.

The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.

In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.

**Pairings:** Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

><p>Sam woke up slowly, feeling reluctant to leave the warm and pleasant sensation that had accompanied his sleep, but he couldn't prevent his mind from becoming active once again. He didn't remember the last time he had felt so well rested and for once he found that he had awaken not because he needed to or to escape some nasty nightmare, but because he was perfectly sated with sleep. It was one of the most wonderful feelings he had ever experienced.<p>

He stirred his still numb limbs and used his arms to put himself in a sitting position, running a hand on his eyes. His thoughts were still a bit blurred and it took him a couple of yawns and some minutes to recall exactly what had happened. The ritual, he and Gabriel doing it, the few words he had exchanged with Dean. He felt his cheeks flushing a little at the memory of his shameless statements. God, he wouldn't have said something like that even while being completely wasted. Apparently being drunk with angelic Grace fucked your mind much more than having too many drinks. But at least it left you feeling great instead of making you face the negative sides of a hangover.

"Hey, welcome back to the real world, Sleeping Beauty!" a familiar voice sang from the other side of the room. "You've slept for a day and a half! How do you feel?"

Sam looked up and he saw Gabriel standing on the threshold, carrying a trail loaded with what looked like his favourite foods. "I've never felt better than this" he admitted, eyeing the dishes. "I slept for so long? Wow. I didn't even realise it."

"I didn't expect you to. Your body needed a while to metabolise the effects of my Grace. And you needed to rest". The archangel put the trail in his lap and sat down next to him. "But it's a good sign. It means that the ritual has actually worked. Not that I had doubts."

"Yeah…" the hunter mumbled, looking away. Having the shorter man so close to him brought back pleasurable memories that were still a bit too intense for his likings. He focused his attention on the food. "You prepared this?" he asked, the "just for me" going untold.

"Shall I remind you that I just need to snap my fingers to get everything I want? Trickster here, remember?" the other asked in a non-caring tone, shrugging. "I just thought that you'd be hungry. I know human needs pretty well after centuries spent living with your kind."

"Yeah, I could tell" Sam nodded, trying to smile but not totally achieving it. It still felt so awkward being around the archangel after what they had done. He had had some one-night stands in the past, but they had never been is thing. Besides, what the two of them had shared hadn't just been a quick contact of skin. Gabriel had made him see the stars, literally speaking, while ravishing his soul. And he had heard his _true_ voice. He cleared his throat and busied himself with his chicken salad. "Thanks, Gabriel. For everything."

"Don't mention it. We are even" the archangel stated offering him a seductive smirk. "I told you that I would have been very grateful if you had let me have my way with you, and so I am."

"Idiot" the young man muttered, rolling his eyes, but his embarrassment was evident. "I guess you won't give me the time I need to digest what we have done, will you?"

"Oh, and spoil my fun? No way, Sammy-boy!" Gabriel crossed his arms, clearly amused. "I _love _it when you squirm to fight the awkwardness! Your brother is right, you are such a girl sometimes!"

The hunter shot him a murderous glare. "I don't _squirm_. And I do not act like a girl" he claimed with force. "And you jerk should just shut up. Or should I remind you how caring and gentle you have been with me?" He grinned satisfied sensing his speaker tensing at that. "I wasn't high enough not to notice, not at the beginning at least. Don't deny it, it's useless". His tone softened. "You _do _care, in spite of everything. About me, about Castiel, and maybe even about my brother as well."

Gabriel snorted, not pleased at all with where the conversation was heading. "Yeah, fine. It's true. I care about you wimps. You have the bad habit of putting yourselves in serious troubles. Someone needs to look after you" he admitted, almost sulking. "Cas is family and he is the reason I'm back and you…Well, I told you already. I like you, gigantor boy, and, since you care so much for your idiot brother, I feel responsible about him as well."

Sam gaped at him for a while, fork half way to his mouth, not knowing what to say. He had expected a sarcastic answer, which he had got, but he hadn't anticipated such openness. He felt a hint of warm spreading in his chest, but he dismissed it as a leftover of Gabriel's Grace reacting to its owner's closeness. There was no way that he was going to consider the fact that maybe the odd feeling that lingered between them was some kind of unresolved emotional and sexual tension. "Speaking of my brother, where is he?" he asked, quickly changing the subject to chase away those disturbing thoughts. "I remember him being quite not cool with what we did…"

"And I guess you also remembered your comment about how awesome is having sex with me" the archangel teased with a small chuckle, making Sam smile a bit in turn. "Well, he said that he needed time and that he was just letting it leave for now." He turned serious. "The fact is that things between him and Castiel hadn't been good. My brother left."

The younger Winchester groaned. "He _left_? What has Dean done to make him go away? That jerk…" he sighed shaking his head. "I knew that leaving them alone was a bad idea!"

"Your brother refused to give me much information. I got that the two had a fight and that Cas left because he wants to find a way to make Dean trust him again" the archangel explained calmly. "Obviously I went immediately after him. It's taken me a while to find him, he is getting better at his tricks even if his Grace is fading. He is my baby brother after all. We spoke for a while. He didn't tell me what he was up to, but he promised that he will call if he gets in troubles." His eyes became unfocused for a moment. "I'm not happy knowing that he is out there alone, but he needs to do whatever he is doing. And I want to trust him since he trusts me, even after everything I have done."

Sam smiled sadly at those words and reached out for the shorter man's shoulder. "I'm sure he will be fine" he offered trying to sound reassuring. "Castiel knows how to take care of himself." He hesitated for a moment. "Were you two close? Before you left Heaven, I mean."

Gabriel looked at him, clearly surprised by the question. "Angels don't share the same type of bonds you humans are used to. We are all connected to each other by default, or at least we were when Dad was still with us. We used to share everything and just knowing that brought us joy. It was all light, love and similar stuff. A real bore." He let out a laugh, but it sounded empty. "Cassie has always been the weird one, he had always felt too much for his own good, and I liked him for that reason. He was so _young _at the time. He was always around questioning us archangels about Father and His creations. And when you explained him something he didn't know, he gave you this look full of wonder that made you blush. Really. Even _Lucifer _was not immune to his bright stare. And that was so much fun. He and I spent hours watching Dad's creations. Everything was so…peaceful." He shook his head. "But the thing that we all envied him was his faith. No one was capable of such a deep trust, and that's why it was rumoured that he was one of Father's favourites, in spite of him being just a foot soldier. Even after Lucy's Fall and Dad's disappearance he's never stopped believing. And when he has been forced to give up his faith in Heaven and God, he found something else to believe in."

"Dean" the hunter completed for him, nodding. He couldn't help finding the story touching. Lucifer's Fall, God's disappearance, the Apocalypse had always been something he had had to deal with, but that didn't really touch him. Now, listening to Gabriel's version, he saw what they were: the tragedy of a family that had fallen apart completely. He had never thought about what all that could have meant for the angels. He even understood why Raphael was so eager to bring Heaven on Earth. She was just tired of seeing her people fighting. It was her way to express her wish to have her family back.

"Exactly. Your brother has become Castiel's new point of reference" the archangel went on, unaware of his reflections. "Castiel _needs _to believe in something. He is falling, but until he had his faith he could find a way to survive. But the last events haven't been nice on him. Seeing his family at war once again, feeling rejected from his home…It's more than he could take. That's why he had been so desperate to find a way to stop the conflict. He feels responsible. But then Dean has rejected him as well, not trusting him, and he has lost everything he had. I'm more worried about him not finding his faith once again than him being left alone to fight against Raphael."

"Why is that?"

"Do you know what happens to angels when they lose all their Grace?"

"They become humans?" the younger Winchester offered, but he had the feeling that it wasn't the right answer.

"That's true if it is removed or if we voluntarily leave the Host. Because even if we lose our power we still keep our essence, which is based on faith" the other corrected him in a gloomy tone. "If angels stop believing…they die."

Sam stared at him in horror. "Are you saying that Cas is…" he started to ask, but he was interrupted.

"You should go and check your brother. While I was out and you were sleeping he has decided to drink himself unconscious. When I came back he was _totally _wasted" Gabriel said, sounding suddenly cheerful. "I tried to make him stop, but he shot me. More than once. So I just put him to sleep. Bobby wasn't happy when he found out about the whole mess. Anyway, Dean woke up about two hours ago and locked himself in the bathroom. But by now he should be done with the vomiting."

"Gabriel…" the hunter tried again.

"Get dressed and go and check on your brother, Sam" the archangel repeated more firmly, his tone becoming imperative.

He could do nothing but nodding, getting up and grabbing his clothes from one of the chairs. He put them on quickly and, before heading for the door, he laid a hand on the other's shoulder again, letting it linger for some moments before heading for the door. He stopped by the threshold. "We won't let anything bad happen to him. He may have betrayed us, but once you have become a part of the Winchester family it's not so easy to get out."

Gabriel nodded and then shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't get me wrong, kiddo. I'm not even considering that option. He'll be absolutely fine because he has _me _to watch over him now."

Sam laughed shaking his head. "Yeah, the fabulous angelic Trickster" he teased with a grin.

"Go to Dean, Sammy-boy" the archangel ordered, but this time his smirk looked less fake.

The hunter sighed and turned around to exit the room. However, he had barely taken a step when he felt a flap of wings coming from behind his back. Instinctively he looked back, but Gabriel was nowhere to be seen.

** ж**

Dean let out another pained groan, tightening his grip on the ceramic of the toilet bowl. His head hurt like hell and so did his neck, probably because of the weird position in which Gabriel had left him after having put him to sleep. Damned archangel. He was going to punch him as soon as he felt better. Ten hits for _fucking _his baby brother, because there was no way that he would buy the ritual shit, and five for the pain that was tormenting his body. He had had to ask Bobby to help him to the bathroom because he couldn't walk by himself. The older man had shot him a reproachful glare, but he had patted his back sympathetically before leaving him alone so that he could relieve the burden in his guts. For many terrible long minutes he had thought that he would die there, twisting in pain on a cold floor, cursing some bottle of alcoholic God-knew-what and a fucking Trickster. But then something had finally started to move inside his stomach and he had spent the following hour and half spewing his guts out.

At the moment the headache was still terrible, but he was feeling a bit better, even if nauseous. He decided that he could use an aspirin as soon as he managed to get up and go downstairs. He smiled in spite of everything. There was a positive aspect in being so wasted. The physical sufferance was preventing his mind from lingering too much on the whole Castiel's issue and he was very happy about it.

A soft knock broke the trail of his thoughts and he looked up to see Sam carefully opening the door. His brother looked at him for some moments with a strange expression on his face, as if he didn't know if he should laugh or fuss over him.

"Man, you look worse than I had imagined" he commented in the end, raising an eyebrow. "Do you need help?"

"You look awfully good, instead, Sammy. Is having sex with an angel so miraculous? Maybe I should try too. Anna doesn't count, she was human at the time" he talked back sarcastically, but held out a hand towards the other hunter. "Get me off this damned floor, will ya?"

"I don't think that Gabriel would accept to give you a go if you asked" Sam stated with a smirk, grabbing his brother's arm and helping him on his feet. "He doesn't like you as much as he likes me."

"And I thank all the gods for that!" the older Winchester exclaimed, glaring at him. "Don't tell me that you two are already mutually exclusive! Aren't you going a bit too fast?"

Sam snorted. "Very funny, Dean. But I'm sorry to inform you that I'm not dating the Trickster." He rolled his eyes and gave the other a light push, being careful not to affect too much his already precarious balance. He was glad to see that after all Dean had taken the whole ritual sex thing better than he had expected. Even if he would be much happier if his sibling just stopped those sarcastic allusions.

The older hunter smirked. "Oh, sorry. So, are you fuck buddies? 'Cause I can't believe that you don't want to repeat the experience since it has been the _best _sex of your life. Your own words, little brother."

"Oh shut up, Dean! I wasn't myself when I said that!"

"So you now state that it was not?"

The younger didn't answered and looked away, hooking his arm around his brother's back to keep him from stumbling. He would have lied if he had said that he hadn't mean those words, but it still didn't imply that he was going to have sex with Gabriel again anytime soon. At least, that was what he had been telling himself since he had woken up. He didn't know how he would have reacted if the archangel had decided to seduce him.

"I knew it" Dean muttered with a sigh. He didn't like the fact that the Trickster had got so close to his brother, but on the other hand he preferred to know that Sam was banging one of their allies instead of going around and getting into unhealthy relationships with some hot demon chick. He still hadn't got over the Ruby affair and he had no intention of seeing it happen again. At least he knew that the archangel would watch over his brother instead of tricking him into freeing the Devil from his cage. He didn't trust Gabriel, but they shared the same kind of protectiveness towards their younger siblings, so he was sure that he'd never hurt his. "Well, you are an adult. Go and do whatever you want with your new heavenly boyfriend. But don't ask for my blessing. And I swear that if he doesn't treat you as he should I will personally kill him again and piss on his fucking grave."

Sam looked a little shocked by his words and gaped at him for some moments. His older brother had to be still a lot drunk to be saying those things. Or maybe it was his way to deal with the guilt he felt for how things had gone with Castiel. He was being permissive with him not to remember how hard he had been on the angel. It made sense, it was a Dean thing. "I'm not going to marry him or anything. Actually, I'm not even sure that it meant something more than him healing me" he said quietly in the end. "But thanks for trusting me."

"It's not a matter of trust. The fact is that I can watch you two since you are around" Dean corrected him in a strict tone. "I still don't approve. But better a fucking _male _archangel turned Trickster turned archangel again than a demon chick. That's my policy."

"You'll never let that go, won't you?"

"Oh, I will. If you start banging Gabriel for real. _That _I will never let go."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

Sam let out an amused snort, but didn't talk back, busying himself with helping his brother to walk down the stairs, which turned out to be more difficult that he had expected since Dean kept missing the steps. When they reached the ground floor, he was already almost sure that the other had been doing it partially on purpose.

Bobby was waiting for them in the living room. "Oh, look at who has finally decided to show up!" he greeted them with a sarcastic tone. "Well, Dean, you look much better now, even if I bet you still feel like shit. You owe me a lot for all the alcohol you drank." He gestured the empty bottles that he had set on his desk. "Oh, and by the way, tell your Trickster friend that if he mess with my kitchen once again I'll kill him, archangel or not."

"If he does, call me and I'll lend you a hand" the older Winchester said with a groan, detaching himself from his brother and reaching out for the couch. "And, for the record, he is _Sam's _Trickster friend, not mine."

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed exasperated. "Stop it!"

"Idjits" the older man mumbled. Then he raised his voice. "Don't sit down, you boys are leaving. There's a job for you" he announced firmly. "Pack your things and bring you asses to the Black Hills. One of my contacts informed me that something's going on in Mountain Pine, a small town near Hot Springs."

"You are sending us on a hunt?" the younger hunter asked incredulous. "What about the Leviathans? We should focus on finding a way to kill them. That's our priority!"

"We know nothing about them right now. I can manage the research part on my own. Besides, I have a friend that could help us" Bobby stated, crossing his arms. "You kept hunting even during the Apocalypse, so I don't see why you shouldn't now. Staying here waiting for finding by chance a secret weapon or, worse, for some of those damned angels to show up won't be useful. You'd better go and do your job."

"He has a point, Sam" Dean admitted, glaring at the sofa resentfully. It looked too comfortable for his likings in that moment. "Staying here won't do us any good. It's better if we go and unload some tension. I really feel like killing one of those bastards right now."

The younger Winchester lifted his hands in surrender. "Fine, we are going. Let me get my things" he gave up with a sigh. The other two were right. He felt fine at the moment but he knew what days of inactivity could do to him. He didn't need action as much as his brother, but he still wasn't able to just sit and wait. "Can you manage yours, Dean?"

"Yeah, I'm not _that _wasted. Not anymore" the muttered answer was.

Half an hour later, the two young hunters were already on their way. Sam had taken the driver seat, stating that Dean wasn't in the shape to drive, which was true, but it hadn't prevented the elder from complaining loudly. Now he was sitting next to him, the newspaper articles that Bobby had given them resting on his lap.

"So what's going on there?" the younger asked, looking away from the road for a moment.

"Fourteen mortal accidents. Too many to be just some random events. And it all started three weeks ago" Dean answered, picking up some of the papers. "A man lost the control of his car and fell in a river. He wasn't drunk and they found no technical faults. Two kids were crushed under the ruins of an abandoned house, which had been perfectly stable until five minutes earlier. A woman accidentally hung herself while climbing. A teenager killed by a hair-drier fallen into the bathtub. And so on."

"Nasty" Sam commented, raising an eyebrow. "Could it be a cursed object? Most of the ones that Dad had collected were deadly weapons."

"Could be. Or maybe it's a ghost linked to an object, like that painting in New York" the elder offered. "Or it could be a bored demon. We've learned too well how supernatural creatures can act when they are bored…"

"If you are somehow referring to me, consider me offended, Dean Winchester" a voice claimed from the back seat.

The Winchesters turned around, caught off guard, and found a sulking Gabriel sprawled in the back of the car, a half eaten candy cane in his mouth. Dean groaned loudly, showing his unhappiness at the unexpected visit, while Sam rolled his eyes and went back to watch the road.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the older hunter asked, hostile. "Shouldn't you be somewhere taking care of your fucking angel businesses?"

"I've just sent four of my brothers back to Heaven. They were looking for Castiel, but they found _me_. Too bad for them" the archangel chuckled, licking the sugary cane. "They are chasing you too. I'm here to make sure that nothing bad happens to you. And, besides, we are fighting the Leviathans together, or have you already forgotten?"

"We haven't. But now we are on another kind of hunt, so we don't need your presence. We can manage some angels by ourselves" Dean talked back, glaring at him. He didn't want him around while they were working. He would surely bring more problems than help and he would keep on distracting them not to get bored. And that was the last thing he needed. "So you can leave."

"Just because you have managed to trap Raphael once it doesn't mean that you'll be able to do it again" the shorter man pointed out. Those boys were too much self-assured for his likings from time to time. "She will look for you because she knows that you are the quickest way to get to Castiel. If he hears that you are in danger he will run to you, not caring about the consequences. So, if I want to keep my brother safe, I must keep you out of troubles."

"He is right, Dean. We can't afford to face an archangel alone" Sam agreed, looking at his brother. Surely the other would make some sarcastic comment about him accepting Gabriel in the team so quickly, but he knew that it was the best choice. "And he can be a nice back-up if we accidentally run into a Leviathan while on the job."

"Why am I not surprised to see you agreeing with him?" the expected mocking answer was. Then the older Winchester's tone became more serious. "Fine, you can stay. If someone keeps those angels away, it's better for us." He didn't mention the fact that he didn't want to put Castiel in the position of having to choose between their safety and his life, because he already knew what the angel's choice would have been. He bit is lower lip lightly and chased the thought away. "But if you interfere with our job I will banish you, got it?"

"Alright, I'll behave. Pinky swear!" Gabriel teased raising his pinkie finger and gaining a nasty look in response. "Oh, come on, relax, Deano! We are all still fine for now. No one has been badly wounded or sent to Hell yet."

"Very reassuring, Trickster."

The archangel opened his mouth to offer a sarcastic answer, but he seemed to change his mind because his smirk widened. "I know what can help your mood!" he claimed solemnly snapping his fingers. "And I don't want to hear again from you that I'm not a nice buddy."

Dean blinked as a laptop that looked suspiciously like Sam's appeared on his tights, a video playing on its screen. "What the fuck…!" he started to say, but he stopped abruptly, his eyes widening in surprise. He raised the volume. "Oh, man! This is…Where did you get it?!"

"Trickster, remember?" Gabriel grinned maliciously, leaning forward and resting an arm on the back of the elder's seat to be able to look at the screen in turn. "It's that special edition of Casa Erotica that you have wanted to see. But of course you can't find it in your usual cheap motel rooms. This is high quality stuff!"

"Wait a second!" Sam interjected shooting a horrifying look at the other two. "You are _not_ watching porn on _my_ laptop in this car while I'm here and _driving_!"

"Oh, we are indeed, Sammy!" his brother said, getting more comfortable against the seat. "You want me to let this freak stay? Fine, but I'm enjoying the positive aspects of his presence. Besides, I didn't get laid like you the other day. It's been a while!"

"He has a point, Sam" the archangel agreed, shooting an amused look to the younger hunter. "Besides, this is more fun than your usual conversations. But don't worry, I won't jerk off in front of you. First of all, because Dean would kill me and, secondly, because I don't want you to forget about what you are supposed to do. A car crash would be an irritating event."

Sam turned to face him, not knowing if he felt more angry or embarrassed. "_Gabriel_!"

"What?" the shorter man asked innocently.

"Shut up, you two! The good part is about to start!" Dean ordered, waving his hand without looking away from the screen.

Sam held back the urge to bang his head against the steering wheel and did his best to try and ignore the slow moans and little screams that soon filled the car. But after a while he had to admit that the worst part of that awful situation were his two companions' comments. He was used to Dean's atrocities, but the last thing he had wanted was to hear his older sibling describing in details to an archangel his sexual kinks. Not that Gabriel's ones were better, but at least he wasn't his brother. He let out a desperate sigh. It would be a long drive.

** ж**

Charlene got off from the bus that had taken her to Hot Springs and looked around. Crowley had told her that she needed to find the petrol station near the main road and wait there until she saw a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala, which seemed to be her targets' car. Then she had to hitch a ride and learn what they were doing and where they were planning to go next. Nothing too difficult, her new employer had stated, but there was no way she was going to trust the Devil. At least he had covered all her travel expenses.

She sighed, trying to chase way the thought of the convention that was about to start. Instead she tried to recall the details she had been given about the guys she was about to meet. Dean and Sam Winchester, monster hunters or whatever they did for a living. Good-looking dudes, the shorter one a womanizer and the taller a nerd. She hoped that none of them tried to hit on her because that would have been quite annoying. Maybe she should immediately state clear and aloud that she wasn't interested in whatever had a male form. Or, perhaps, she could casually mention her lovely, imaginary girlfriend. She nodded to herself, satisfied by the idea. That would have solved a lot of problems.

She crossed the street, walking quickly towards the end of the town. Crowley had said that they would be on a case and heading towards a small town near Hot Springs. Her cover said that she was a journalist and that she was there to investigate about the strange accidents that had been happening there. She didn't know how the demon had made sure that the Winchesters would be on that road just in time to pick her up, but she had the feeling that it had something to do with her hacking that Taylor guy's email account.

Outside the small city there wasn't a pavement, so she was forced to walk in the grass next to the asphalt. She sank her hands in the pockets of her light brown coat and adjusted the weight of her rucksack on her shoulders. It was late afternoon and the air was starting to feel chilly. The sky was covered by huge grey clouds and she hoped that it didn't start to rain. She had left her umbrella at home. The fact of having to stand waiting without a shelter hadn't crossed her mind when she was packing up.

Luckily the petrol station came into view after a short time and Charlie felt relieved by the sight. She usually wasn't so susceptible, but her current mission was making her nervous. She had already lived more than one life, starting anew when things hadn't gone well as they should have, so playing a role was not what was bothering her. She just had a bad feeling about her whole business with Crowley. Technically, she still hadn't accepted to work with him, but on the other hand she was pretty sure that she couldn't just say "no" to the Devil without having to face unpleasant consequences. The way out she had created for herself was just an illusion, she was smart enough to see it. But it was nice to pretend that it was there.

A car passed past her and she caught a glimpse of four people chatting and singing together with the radio. Crowley had also told her that maybe the brothers wouldn't have been alone. He hadn't elaborated the information, but somewhere in her head a neon light saying "not human" had started to flash. She had been tempted to ask for a clarification, but the demon had already began to inform her of how she should behave with her targets and she had had to chase her questions away and listen to him. And now she had to wait and see what surprise the black Chevrolet would bring her. She could have bet that Crowley had omitted that detail on purpose, just to make everything more fun. Yeah, because if she could have her trial period, he had to get his dose of entertainment.

She reached the small open space in front of the petrol station and put down her rucksack before leaning against a pole. There she was. Now the only thing she had to do was waiting for the Winchesters and their possible inhuman companions. She shot a longing glance at the pretty cashier of the station. If she hadn't been a woman on the job she would have surely spent some time flirting with her. Too bad that she couldn't afford missing the Chevrolet. She sighed and pulled her mp3 player out. The music would keep her some company. She leant more against the wood and relaxed, her eyes never leaving the road, the notes bursting in her ears.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey there, everybody!

I'm so sorry for the delay. I've been having some problems lately and so no time and especially no inspiration to write. I'll try to be on time from now on, but I can't promise that I will for sure! I hope you'll enjoy the chapters (I'll be posting two since I didn't manage to post here last time) and that they will be worth the wait!

So, in this chapter we get to see what Castiel is doing, and also maybe start to get an idea of what's wrong with him, and Charlie will meet Gabriel and the boys (which means troubles xD).  
>The goddess who's mentioned was the Celtic goddess of the paths, protector of the travelers. We don't know much about her since she is known from only two inscriptions. The first of these was found in Labin, Croatia and the second in Fiume, the Veneto region of Italy.<p>

**Warnings**: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.

**Summury:** AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.

The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.

In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.

**Pairings:** Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

><p>Everything was still and perfectly silent. There wasn't even a breath of wind to move the endless sea of sand. No sound disturbed the quietness of the dunes. The moon shone in the sky, white and round, bathing the desert in her silver light. There was something otherworldly in the landscape, something magical and mysterious. Castiel stared at the sand, motionless as everything that was around him, his blue eyes shining even more than usual while reflecting the moonlight. He remembered watching over that country, millennia before. He had seen its civilisations raising and falling, destroying and creating, fighting and living. They had left behind them audacious and beautiful marks, such as the pyramids that were still standing some miles away from him, hidden to the sight by the hills of sand. That place held for him a bittersweet taste of nostalgia, bringing back to his mind memories from a time of peace and joy now irremediably lost.<p>

The angel raised his gaze to the sky, watching the stars glowing fiercely in the dark of the space. He didn't know for how long he had been standing there in the freezing cold of the night, too lost in his contemplation to care about the passing time. His fading Grace failed to give him a precise answer, but it didn't matter. He had come there after speaking with Gabriel and had watched the sun setting behind the dunes.

He frowned remembering his older brother's worried expression. The archangel had always been awfully good at hiding whatever was going on in his mind, but in the last look they had exchanged he had clearly seen his concern. "Be careful", those golden eyes were saying, and then "Come back". It had been an awkward moment, but he couldn't blame Gabriel for that. After spending so many centuries playing the role of the Trickster it was natural that he still hadn't adapted to being an angel once again. His older sibling had never been good at keeping to the straight and narrow. He had been wondering why, among all his brothers and sisters, their Father had chosen the one who had gone pagan to help them, but in retrospect it made sense. Gabriel had been involved with the Winchesters for quite a long time and in the end he had chosen their side against his family, just as he himself had done. Besides, back then when they were still in Heaven together, he used to spend many hours with the archangel and, even if they hadn't really spoken in millennia, he couldn't help being glad to have him back on his side.

His thoughts went back to the discussion he had had with Dean and he closed his eyes, recalling the hunter's harsh words. He wished that he could find the answers he needed in that lonely place, but something was telling him than it wasn't the right place. Wherever his true destination was, it wasn't there among the quiet dunes, under that clear starry sky.

He turned around and started to walk, his feet sinking in the sand, heading towards nowhere in particular. The landscape around him seemed to never change, but he could see the small differences that would have gone unnoticed to human eyes. There was a silent melody playing in the air, an imperceptible sound that echoed all around him, making his Grace stir. He titled his head on one side, slightly confused by the strange emotion he was feeling, and stepped forwards in the direction from which the music seemed to be coming.

The silver moonlight hit him and drew his shadow on the sand. He lowered his eyes on it, stopping his tracks. From its back a pair of large folded wings sprouted, their tips brushing against the ground. Castiel carefully spread one of them and from its shadowed form a shower of feathers fell. He frowned. He could feel the light of each one leaving him, making him a little weaker. Soon flying would become a draining effort for him. He folded the wing back with the other one and started to follow the music once again.

He couldn't have said for how long he had walked. The moon had already started her descent when he caught the sight of a small light in the dark of the night. At a better look, it turned out to be a solitary tent with a nice fire crackling in front of it. A figure cloaked in blue was curled up near the flames and the angel could smell the scent of mint even from that distance. With little hesitation, he approached the tent and stopped only when he was standing on the other side of the campfire, in front of the mysterious woman. The latter raised her eyes towards him and spoke some soft Tuareg words, waving her cape in a welcoming gesture. Castiel sat down where he was showed and took the cup that the stranger offered him without a word.

They sat together in silence, staring at the dancing flames. The clay was burning against the angel's palms, but he wouldn't have noticed even if the heat could have actually affected him. The melody was still lingering in the air, stronger than before, and it made the atmosphere somehow holy, almost as if God's presence had left a trace in that solitary landscape. During his vain search for his Father, Castiel had wandered in many places where His essence was stronger than usual, but this time there was something different. He had never experienced such a comfort on Earth before.

He raised his eyes towards the sky once again, fixing them on the pale moon. He imagined staying in that place forever, that night stretching for all the time he had left to live. No more worries, no more burdens, no more guilt. Only the silence, the heat of the fire and the scent of desert tea. Peace for his mortally wounded soul. It would have been so easy to just let everything go and forget. To forget about the war, the Leviathans, about Hell and Heaven, monsters and angels. To forget his mission, his duty, sinking into a sweet oblivion, leaving behind the painful void in his chest, which once had been filled by his now lost faith.

Three dark presences invading the calm of the night brought him back to the present, breaking his fantasy. _Demons_. He got on his feet quickly, his eyes scanning the surroundings attentively until they stopped on three rapidly approaching figures. The cloaked woman didn't move at all and went on sipping her tea, calm and relaxed. Castiel shot her a curious glance, but decided to investigate later about that lack of reaction. He stepped forwards, positioning before the fire, so that he was shielding his host.

"Oh, look at what we have here!" One of the demons smirked, as they stopped a few step away from him. His black eyes stood out against the blond hair of his vessel. "Aren't you the little angel who has tried to fool Crowley? I bet he would be very grateful if we handed you over to him. Don't you agree?"

"You should try and catch me first" Castiel pointed out, unmoved by his threatening tone. "But I would heartily advise you against it if you care for your unworthy lives."

"Isn't he cute? He is trying to look scary!" Another one, a young woman, mocked cruelly. "Are you aware that you don't look too well, hun?"

The angel's stare became more intense at the comment. Was his poor state already that obvious? "I might not be in my best shape, but it's enough to beat some dregs of Hell like you" he stated, voice still emotionless.

He didn't give them the time to answer or react and one moment later he was right in front of the third demon, his fingers resting on his forehead. The hellish creature almost hadn't the time to scream while the angelic power invaded him, sending him straight back to the Pit and leaving behind his unconscious vessel. He turned around and attacked the blond. The latter grabbed his wrist, but he wasn't quick enough. A white flash ran through his body, throwing him on the ground. The demon groaned loudly, but then he raised his head, wounded but still there and alive.

"That's all you can do, little angel?" He teased, drying the blood that was falling from his eyes with a hand. "I'm not a wimp as that idiot was!"

Castiel looked at him, caught off guard, and the woman exploited his hesitation, jumping on him and gripping at his throat with both hands. Her long nail sank deep in his flesh, drawing out blood. He struggled against her, but she was stronger than he had anticipated. The other demon didn't waste the opportunity, throwing himself at him in turn. His fist crashed violently into his ribs, breaking the bones with a nasty crack, and then hit his jaw, splitting his lower lip.

"You are no longer boasting now, aren't you, angel?" The woman growled, tightening his grip on his neck even more and threatening to snap it. "Are you still persuaded that you'll beat us?"

"I am" he stated calmly. And he sank his angel blade into her chest.

The demon let out a surprised gasp and collapsed at his feet, eyes wide opened, her blood soaking the sand. The blond reacted immediately, jumping backwards, out of his reach, and shot him a glare full of hatred. The angel simply ignored it and stood erect, wielding his sword solemnly, feeling back in the role of the divine warrior. His eyes were shining intensively, blue flames in the night, brighter than the fire behind him. The demon growled, but took a step back, ready to flee, having understood that the battle was lost and that he had better run for his life. However, before he could do anything, Castiel appeared behind him and stabbed him, letting the blade sink until he reached the heart of the creature. The latter let out a terrible scream and fell on the ground near his companion, dead. The angel ran a hand on his coat, making the blood stains disappear and stared at the two corpses, a blank expression on his face.

"I'll take care of the bodies and of the survivor" a voice claimed gently from his right. "You don't need to worry about anything, Castiel, angel of the Lord."

Castiel turned to see the woman in blue now standing next to him, a soft smile on her ageless tanned face. She was no human, he should have noticed it sooner, and she was extremely gorgeous. "You seem to know me, but I have never met you before" he said slowly, titling his head. "Who are you?"

"The humans know me as Sentona. I'm the protector of travellers and of the ones who have lost their way" she explained quietly, her smile never fading. "And you have lost your path, haven't you, Castiel?"

"I've lost more than that, Sentona" he answered, lowering his eyes, almost ashamed. However, the feeling didn't burden him. For some obscure reason the woman's presence made him feel at ease as he had rarely been. The warmth with which she pronounced his name brought him comfort and hope. She was the one who made the atmosphere holy and serene, now he could see. His Father had nothing to do with it. "I am afraid that I have lost myself."

"It's alright, Castiel. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Only the ones who are brave enough to question their whole being risk losing themselves so completely. But they are also the only ones who have the strength to rise again from the abyss. That's why you have come to me. I'll be your guardian until you need me." She opened her arms, welcoming and gentle, and took a step towards him. "You have nothing to fear. I know how much your past and your mistakes pain you, I know your sorrow. And I want to offer you the peace you desire. You protected me from those demons without hesitation, so I owe you. You can stay, if you want. Forever. You can become one of my emissaries, a deity of lost paths. I'll give you new powers and you'll no longer have to worry about losing your Grace." She held out a hand for him. "I will wash your sins away and you'll be reborn, as pure as you used to be. But the choice is yours."

The angel stared at her stretched fingers, feeling the temptation to give in getting stronger and stronger. He longed for peace and forgiveness, for purity and love. It would have been as if he had gone back in time, when he still had a real family, when Heaven still felt like home. He reached out for her, but suddenly Dean's face and Gabriel's words came into his mind, breaking the illusion he was living. He stopped abruptly. It would be so easy, it would feel so good, but he couldn't just leave everything and "go pagan", to use his older brother's words. He had left to prove to himself and to his friends that he could still be trusted, that he was still worth their affection. He couldn't fail them again nor could he leave them to take care of the consequences of his mistakes. He lowered his arm and shook his head.

"I thank you for your kind offer, Sentona, but I can't accept. What you are ready to give me is something I strongly desired, but I can't take it. I'm sorry. Because all I really long for is finding where I belong. And I know that it's not by your side" he spoke quietly, watching the goddess lowering her hand. The warmth around them didn't falter, on the contrary it got more comforting, encouraging. "If I gave up, my deaths, my falls, my fights and my sorrow, everything I have done would be in vain. Besides, there is someone waiting for me and I have sworn to them and to myself that I would have come back."

Sentona's smile grew wider. "I understand. That's a brave choice, Castiel, it suits the warrior you have never ceased to be" she praised in her soft, musical tone. She stepped forward again, until she was right in front of him, and laid her hands on his chest. "Stay here until dawn. Let me heal you before you leave and rest. This search you have undertaken will require all your energy and powers. But when you feel desperate, don't give up. Remind yourself why this is important and keep going."

"I will. I promise" he replied burying his eyes in hers. Her irises glowed of a silvery light, similar to the moon's one. He could feel the pleasant heat of her hand silently healing his broken bones. Her fingertips moved to his broken lips in a gentle caress, washing away the blood and repairing the skin.

She nodded, satisfied, and moved away. "Good. Now, come and sit with me. Your tea is getting cold."

He obeyed and they sat once again before the fire, without speaking. Castiel took his cup in his hands once again, finding that it was still hot as when he had left it, and watched the silver moon walk through her orbit in the lightening sky. When the sun had finally set, he got up, leaving his empty cup next to the goddess. She looked up and they stared at each other for a long, intense moment, then the angel straightened his posture and one moment later he was gone in a flap of wings.

Sentona stretched out a hand and grabbed one of the feathers that her guest had left behind. It was burning and seemed made of light. She threw it in her fire that suddenly lit up, the flames changing from red to light blue. "I'll pray the gods for you, Castiel" she whispered, her silver eyes lost in the dancing light. "I hope that you will succeed and that we will meet again in happier circumstances."

** ж**

"I'm bored" Gabriel whined for the umpteenth time. "Remind me why won't you let me just fly you there?"

"Because there's no way I'm leaving my baby alone and because I hate your angel zapping!" Dean almost growled, throwing him a murderous look. "Can't you just shut the fuck up? I'm fed up with your complains!"

"But I'm bored!"

"I don't care! And make all those scrap papers disappear! Damn, how many sweets can you eat in one hour?!"

Sam sighed quietly, but said nothing. He had no intention of joining that argument, no sane person would. By now he'd almost admitted to himself that _maybe_ the porn was better. At least it had kept the other two busy, even if it had meant hearing the most mortifying comments. Once the video had ended, Gabriel had been quiet for about fifteen minutes before starting to repeat that all that time spent in the car was useless and boring. Dean had tried to explain him what it meant to them, showing himself to be surprisingly patient at first, but when the archangel had gone on whining the older hunter had given up any pretence of good manners and had started to yell at him in turn. It had worked for some time, because the shorter man had retreated in the back seat, sulking and busying himself with a huge amount of candies, but apparently the truce was over.

"Hey, Sam, why don't you let that pain in the ass of your brother drive?" Gabriel asked without a warning. "You surely can entertain me much better that this annoying monkey!"

"If you think that I'll let you touch _my _brother in _my _car, you are very, very _wrong_! And very, very _dead_!" Dean threatened immediately, turning around to face the archangel, who was sprawled on the seat. "Got it?"

"I wasn't thinking about sex, actually. I am more in a talking mood right now. But, now that you have mentioned it, some physical activity could be a good idea as well" the other smirked mockingly, clearly enjoying teasing the young man. "Thanks, Deano! I'm sure that your little brother will enjoy another shot of amazing archangel's Grace!"

"He will _not_! I won't let you exploit his easy addiction to supernatural substances!" the older hunter snarled, pointing his gun at the archangel. "Keep your appendages away from Sammy!"

"Hey, I'm right here, you know?" the younger Winchester interjected, rolling his eyes and shooting his companions a nasty glare. His brother's comment on his supposed "easy addiction" had been the last straw. "Stop talking about me as if I wasn't here! It's annoying! Listen, we'll arrive to a petrol station in about two minutes. Once there I'll let you, Dean, drive and I'll _talk_ with you, Gabriel. So you both will be busy and my poor head won't explode. I had enough shit when I was in that damned Cage with Lucifer and after my wall broke. So, please, just stop. We'll do as I said. Deal?"

The other two didn't look too happy about his suggestion, but none of them objected. Sam didn't like using his still fresh trauma as a tool to obtain what he wanted, but he had stated the truth. After all the screams, the manic laughter and the Devil's endless chatting he wished he could have a bit of quietness. At least when he wasn't fighting monsters or angels.

He tried to focus on the road once again, hoping that the renewed silence would put his mind at rest, but he found out that he couldn't chase away the thought of the Cage now that he had brought it up. Remembering didn't hurt like before and he no longer felt the deadly anguish he had experienced during his coma, but it was still disturbing. The side effects of Gabriel's Grace had almost disappeared and he was now aware of how disturbing those memories were, even if they were no longer a real threat for his mental health. He would have nightmares for weeks, maybe for months, like it had happened after Jessica's death. His only reassurance was that eventually they would stop. They had more important problems to face right now, and he couldn't allow his companions to waste time and energies for him. It wouldn't be easy or pleasant, but he could manage. He _had_ to.

"Sam, are you alright?" Dean asked, bringing him back to the present.

"Yeah, I'm fine" he nodded quickly. It wasn't exactly the truth, but for once it was close enough. He could feel the archangel's eyes on him and he didn't dare to look at him, fearing that he could read what he had been thinking and reveal it. The petrol station came into view right in that moment, giving him the chance to change the subject. "Here we are. We should gas up the car while we have the chance."

His brother nodded in agreement and he drove into the square where the pumps were located. The Winchesters got out of the car to take care of the petrol, while Gabriel didn't bother to leave his comfortable place in the back seat. Dean kept shooting inquiring looks at Sam, not convinced by his previous answer, but the other pretended not to notice them and for once he didn't press further on the matter. The younger felt grateful for it and he hoped that it was the sign that his sibling was starting to trust him again. They did everything almost without speaking and then went back to the vehicle, walking closely side by side. Sam hid a smile. The elder's protective behaviour at times was annoying and exaggerated, but he had to admit to himself that it made him feel good in spite of everything. Dean's care for him, for whom he considered family, was comforting and made him feel somehow safer.

"Hey! Excuse me!" a female voice called from behind them, breaking the trail of his thoughts.

The two hunters turned around and saw a woman around their age approaching them quickly. Her long red hair was tied in a ponytail and she kept her hands in the pockets of her jacket, to shield them from the cold. The stranger reached them and offered an awkward smile. She didn't seem much at ease.

"Uh, I was wondering if you could give me a ride" she said after a moment of silence, clearing her throat. "I'm heading to Mountain Pine. I need to get there today or my boss will kill me."

"Mountain Pine?" Sam repeated, smiling back encouragingly. "We are heading there too. So I guess there's no problem if you ride with us."

"Yeah, I agree. You can come" Dean agreed, nodding. "We don't want your boss to kick that nice ass!" He offered her a small seductive grin. "By the way, I'm Dean and this is my little brother Sam. And that idiot in the car" he pointed Gabriel, who was now waving in their direction "is Gabriel. We are journalists. We work for a newspaper in Little Rock. Nice to meet you."

"Really? What a coincidence…I'm a journalist too! I work for a small press in Hot Spring" Charlie beamed, relaxing a bit. They all were playing a role and she couldn't help finding it amusing. She glanced at the blond man in the car and waved back at him, wondering briefly what he could be. She shook the brothers' hands. "I'm Charlene, by the way. But everybody calls me Charlie. Nice to meet you too, Dean and Sam. And…Gabriel, right?"

"Yeah. Come on, we should go. We still have some hours of driving before arriving" the younger hunter said, gesturing towards the car. "Charlie, it's better if you ride on the passenger seat, if you don't mind. At times Gabriel is a bit…_improper_."

Dean made a face, clearly not liking the idea of the archangel and his brother sitting together, but for Sam's sake for once didn't comment, while the woman nodded and said: "Alright, I have no problem with that."

The three reached the car and Dean started the vehicle as soon as Charlene had slipped into the passenger seat. Meanwhile the younger Winchester had pushed Gabriel away to gain some more space in the back only to have the archangel smirk at him and lay down once again, his head in the human's lap. The latter glared at him, caught a bit off guard and annoyed, but he didn't do anything to make him move. Mostly it was because he knew that the angel wouldn't let him push him away, no matter what he had done, but a part of him, which he was doing his best to ignore, found the closeness pleasant. Gabriel's warmth reminded him of the sensation of the Grace sinking into his flesh and helped him chasing away the bad memories.

Dean rolled his eyes at the sight, but pretended not to have noticed, while the young woman shot a curious glance at them through the rear-view mirror. A small grin opened on her lips and she turned to face the two. Maybe she wasn't the only one to have alternative tastes.

"Is he your boyfriend, Sam?" she asked nonchalantly and a bit amused, looking meaningfully at their current position.

"No" Dean immediately stated right in the same moment when Gabriel said "Yes."

The woman let her eyes wander among the three while a knowing smirk appeared on her face. "Let me guess!" she said cheerfully. "You two have just started dating and Dean here is playing the role of the jealous overprotective big brother. That's it, isn't it?"

The older hunter let out a snort, but Sam spoke before his brother could open his mouth and say that the archangel had take advantage of him: "Yeah, it's something like that. I mean, we are not actually _dating_. It's complicated." He shot a look at Gabriel, who stared back but remained silent, a small grin lingering on his lips. He wondered for a moment what the other was thinking, before turning his attention back to his speaker once again. "We are trying to figure out how the things work between us."

"Oh, I see" Charlene nodded. "You know, I think that it is one of the best parts of a relationship." She chuckled. "You need to get to know the other and so there are a lot of dates and especially a lot of crazy _sex_."

Dean almost choked on air at that, while the younger hunter felt his face becoming hot and he fervently hoped that his cheeks hadn't become red. Gabriel's smirk widened and he clapped his hands, clearly approving. "Oh, girl, I like the way you think. Really, really much" he commented, looking almost impressed. "Wanna date me too? I'm sure that Sammy won't mind since we are not official yet!"

Sam muttered something under his breath that sounded like "Why me?" and "Don't call me Sammy", while the young woman laughed and shook her head. "I'm glad we agree on that point and I'm flattered, but I'm sorry, Gabriel. I don't swing that way."

"Ah, what a pity. It would have been fun" the archangel said with a shrug. "If you ever change your mind and decide to give men a try, call me! But I'll understand if you never do. Who in this car doesn't appreciate hot talented flexible girls after all?"

"Well said" Charlie approved with a nod. She was enthusiastic of how the things were going. She was already starting to like those guys and she hoped that Crowley hadn't something too nasty ready for them. "I have all the numbers of Busty Asian Beauties…And I'll be really glad if one of those women was the death of me!"

Gabriel's eyes lit up in amusement at that and he smiled widely at her. "For Father's sake, I madly love you, Charlene. Best girl of the planet! I should have more lesbian friends."

"I hate to say it" Dean interjected, looking at their guest with a smug grin. "But for once I totally agree with you, Gabriel. This girl rocks!"

Charlene let out another laugh, shaking her head. "Well, it seems that I have been luckier than I thought. I ended up in a car with great guys with my same good tastes!"

Sam closed his eyes and let his head fall on the edge of the seat, suddenly wishing that Castiel was with them. At least he wouldn't have been the only one to suffer there. He wasn't ready for another conversation about sex and strange kinks. The one he had heard earlier had been enough. He wished he had his laptop with him so that he could distract himself working on the case, but it was back in the trunk, together with the articles that Bobby had given them.

Gabriel stirred against him and he instinctively lowered his eyes on him. The archangel was looking at him not even trying to hide his amusement and showing him that he exactly know what was going in his mind. The young man snorted, lifting his eyes, and gave the other's shoulder a small push. Gabriel grabbed his wrist before he could retreat his arm and shoved his hand in his own hair, looking at him expectantly. The hunter raised an eyebrow and mouthed "_Really_?", receiving a more intense look in response. He sighed, shaking his head, but let his fingers sank in the shorter man's hair, gently rubbing his skull. He thanked God for the fact that Dean was too busy discussing with Charlene to notice what he was doing and tried hard not to think about it in turn, and especially to ignore the fact that the archangel had started to _purr_ against his leg. If he was almost sure that he could handle the nightmares and the bad memories, he didn't know if he could manage whatever was going on between him and Gabriel. He suppressed a groan. The universe had to really hate him.

** ж**

Charlene let her rucksack fall on the bed before heading towards the bathroom. She needed a shower, or even better, a long bath. It had been a while since the last time she had taken one. The hotel room wasn't the best place she had been in, but at least it was clean and it had a bathtub that seemed usable. She could give it a try.

She left the hot water flowing and went back in the bedroom to pick up some clean clothes and to take off the ones she was wearing. She had an hour and half to spend before meeting the guys in the hall. They had checked in the same motel and had decided to have dinner together. She smiled at the though. The ride had been fun, she had quite enjoyed it. She and Dean had got along very quickly, something that hadn't happened to her in a while. He was good at joking and his sharp sarcasm had caught her attention. Besides, he seemed to be the sincere, rough but caring type and she didn't mind it. Sam was quieter than his brother, but she had got to know that he was smart and that he liked computers, so they had something important in common. Gabriel was weird, but not in a negative way. At first sight he seemed to be an out-going guy, the people person type, but she had the feeling that part of it was just a well built facade. He was intriguing, especially since she was almost sure that he was not human. She wondered if she would ever find out what he really was.

Charlie wrapped herself in a bathrobe and grabbed her mobile phone. Crowley had told her to call him once she had got some information about the Winchester and so she dialled his number, even if not without a bit of reluctance. The phone rang a couple of time before she got an answer.

"Good evening, Charlene!" the demon's voice welcomed her cheerfully. "So, have you met my boys? Interesting guys, aren't they?"

"Hello, Crowley" she greeted with much less enthusiasm. "Yeah, I'm staying in their same hotel and I'm eating with them tonight. They are here for the mysterious accidents, but I guess you already know this, don't you?"

"Of course I know. I sent them there thanks to your hacking abilities" Crowley answered and she could hear his smirk in his words. "They are monsters hunters, I told you. There's something in that town, something quite bad, so be careful, my dear. But I'm sure that the Winchesters will keep you safe. Just stick around and try to find out which is their real goal."

"This whole thing has something to do with the Leviathans, hasn't it?" she asked, ignoring the light shiver at the mention of the _thing_. She had never been a fan of real monsters. "They hunt monsters. Leviathans are big bad monsters. So, Dean and Sam must be involved."

"Have I already told you how much I appreciate your intelligence? You'd make a wonderful demon, Charlie dear" the King of Hell sang, apparently pleased, but there was a dark note in his tone. "Yes, they are after the Leviathans. But I need to know what they are exactly planning to do to fight them."

"It wasn't so difficult to guess" she answered carefully, trying to sound not impressed. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't read the other's real intentions. It was as if there was a second meaning hidden in every word he spoke and she found it disquieting. "I'll find a way to get to know something about that. Oh, they are travelling with another guy. Name's Gabriel. But he is not human, isn't he?"

"Gabriel? Just him? Didn't they mention someone called Castiel?" the demon asked, ignoring her last statement. "That's strange. I had expected the little one to stick with them…"

She raised an eyebrow. She could picture her speaker frowning at the news. "No, never. Who's this Castiel?" she asked. "Another one of their supernatural friends?"

"Yeah. He used to be Dean's best buddy, but recently they had a…nasty argument, if we can call it like that. And so it seems that our Cas has wandered off on his own. Not so bad. I'll take care of him." Crowley kept quiet for a moment. "Anyway, be careful around that Gabriel guy, Charlene. He is really powerful."

"Won't you tell me what he is?" she pushed again, but she already knew that she was wasting her breath.

"No, it's better if you don't know, or you wouldn't be able to look at him in the same way you do now" the Devil answered firmly. It sounded like an order. "And we don't want to blow up your cover, do we? He won't hurt you if you are not perceived as a threat, so relax."

The woman bit back a bitter comment and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "Alright. As you wish, Crowley. But this is not over" she said instead, trying to sound determinate. "I don't like this. I'm risking my life for you, so I think that I deserve at least to know whom I am dealing with. But for now it's fine."

"Good girl" the demon praised, but the dark note was back in his voice. "I have to leave you know, my presence is required elsewhere. Call me if you find anything else. Or if you are in need of something. Have a nice evening."

"Yeah, you too."

She ended the call with a sigh and put the phone on the sink. That damn bastard. He had all the power in his hands and he knew it. She turned the water off and stripped before entering the full bathtub. The feeling of the hot water against her skin was pleasant and she decided that Crowley didn't deserve to ruin her mood. She would do as he had said and had a nice evening with the boys. Who knew, maybe that mission would bring her some nice surprises.


	6. Chapter 6

And here goes the second chapter of this week!

**Warnings**: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.

**Summury:** AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.

The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.

In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.

**Pairings:** Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.

* * *

><p>Sam shut his laptop with a sigh and leant back against the chair, stretching his numb limbs. Sometimes being so tall was uncomfortable. The tables were always a bit too short for him and so were the seats. He glanced again at the clock and then at his brother who was busy cleaning their arsenal on one of the two beds. Gabriel had left as soon as they had reached the room, saying that he needed to wander off for some business, adding that he would meet them at the diner for dinner later. The younger hunter had raised an eyebrow, not convinced at all, but he hadn't pressed the matter and had stepped into the bathroom to take a shower. Most likely the archangel needed to find something fun to do to unload the huge amount of energy that was stored in his body and he decided that it was better if he did it far away from them. The last thing they needed was to attract unwanted attention.<p>

Sam sighed and shook his head, getting up. "Dean" he called. "It's almost time to meet Charlene."

"Yeah, sure. Give me a minute" Dean answered, starting to put the weapons back in their bag. "Did you find anything interesting?"

The younger shook his head. "Not much. Just some more details about the accidents, but nothing really useful" he explained sitting down on his bed. "No references to something supernatural happening, not even some stupid ghost story. This place is the most normal town of the world. Or, at least, it was."

"Well, it will go back to be its old boring self soon, because we are going to find whatever damned thing is causing this mess and kick its ass" the elder stated firmly. "Maybe that idiotic archangel of yours will prove himself useful for once and will help us figure out what's going on here."

"He is not _my _archangel!" Sam protested, exasperated. "For God's sake, Dean! I've already told you to stop. It was just a stupid ritual, nothing more. Let it be, please."

Dean snorted. "Yeah, just a ritual. But you don't seem to be so disturbed by the fact that it has involved a Trickster fucking you!"

The younger closed his eyes for a moment and bit his lips, to hold back a bitter answer. He wanted to tell his brother to mind his business and to leave his own alone. After all he wasn't the one who usually spent whole minutes staring at an angel who was always in his personal space. But mentioning Castiel wasn't the best thing to do. The other was still upset about the whole issue and he didn't want to make it worse. He, unlike his sibling, was able to show some touch. "Can you just tell me what your problem is?" he asked instead, trying to keep his voice calm. "I am the one who slept with Gabriel, not you. I can understand that the thing can be weird for you, it is for me too. However, I don't think that fussing over it will help, so I just decided that it was better to let it be. It's done and gone. My mind is almost sane once again and we have an archangel on our side. That's all."

The elder kept quiet for a moment, turning his gun in his hands. "What troubles me is the fact that now you seem to be suddenly fond of that bastard. Have you forgotten what he had done to us? Or has the sex brainwashed you?" he said in the end. He didn't like the relationship that was growing between his sibling and the Trickster. He didn't trust the latter, especially not near his brother. He couldn't help expecting some kind of bad joke from him, even if a part of him kept on telling him that Gabriel really wanted to help them this time. Besides, there was another feeling lingering in his gut every time he saw the other two together. They reminded him of the closeness that he and Cas used to share. He would never admit it, not even to himself, but he was _jealous_. And, in spite of everything, he missed his own personal angel. Castiel had said it himself once. They shared a more profound bond, a special connection. "He tried to force us to say yes to those motherfuckers and killed me a hundred times! You have never liked him, apart from when we first met him and we thought he was an ordinary janitor. I don't understand why so suddenly you let him not only having his way with you without too much complain, because that I can understand, we needed to fix you, but…You are _friendly_ with him. You take care of his whims and you let him into your personal space too much for my likings. And you seem to enjoy it, even if it annoys you too. Would you mind telling me what's going on, Sam?"

"I haven't forgotten what he did to us. And I hadn't forgiven him. I was the one who had to watch you die over and over again! You don't even remember it happening! And I still haven't digested the whole thing about the genital herpes either." He glared at the other seeing him smirking at that. It hadn't been funny at all. "But I can't forget that he's protected us from the pagan gods and challenged Lucifer. He _died_ to let us and Kali escape from that damned hotel, Dean. I can't ignore it. He is not the best person in the world, he is one of the biggest assholes I have ever met, but he chose our side in the end. He stood up against his own kind. And I feel I owe him. He healed me. And…" He hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure about what he was about to say and he didn't want Dean to misunderstand his words, especially since he himself didn't know exactly what they meant. He looked away from his speaker. "I enjoyed talking with him the first time we met him, before finding out that he was what we were hunting. He can be a nice fellow from time to time. I…I sort of like him. And he likes me too, he told me before we…" He waved a hand, eyes still fixed on the floor. "It was nice to hear it. He cares, Dean. About me, about Cas, and about you too. Even if he acts like the dick he is."

Dean stared at him for a while, even if he refused to meet his eyes. In the end he shook his head and sighed, letting out a noise that was both exasperated and amused. "I can't believe that this day has come. You, the one that once was all "I want to become a lawyer and marry a pretty girl and forget about the monsters", have a crush on a fucking and very _male _angelic Trickster" he commented, sounding oddly impressed. "That's a huge surprise, Sammy. Really. If they had told me that this was going to happen two days ago I would have laughed in their face and then shot them! You never cease to amaze me, little brother!"

Sam shot him a murderous glare. That was the kind of comment he had feared to hear. "I don't have a crush on Gabriel" he talked back, his voice firmer than he really felt about the matter. "I don't like him in that way. He is a valuable ally. That's all. Maybe one day we will be friends too, who knows. But that's all."

The older hunter held his gaze with his same determination. "Yeah, go on telling that to yourself while you spent an entire ride cuddling with him. Yeah, I saw that. I'm not that blind" he mocked, crossing his arms. Then he turned a bit more serious. "Listen, Sammy. We have already had this conversation. I don't approve of your…_affiliation_ with that fucker, but you are an adult now and it's no longer my place to tell you with who you can and can't hang out. You'll never have my blessing, but if you like him…Well, suit yourself. Your problem. At least until he hurts you. Then it will become my problem too."

"I…I don't…" the younger Winchester started to say, but stopped almost immediately and sighed. "God, I don't fucking know what's going on with that idiot" he admitted shaking his head, almost ashamed. "He says something and then acts in the opposite way. I can't bring myself to trust him completely. Not yet. And I'm still pissed with him. But…I can't say no to him. After…Uh…after the ritual, something changed between us. Maybe it's because I've been filled with his Grace, I don't know, but it is there. I tried to ignore this feeling…But I just can't. Not when he is around."

Dean rolled his eyes, muttering something that sounded like. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation" and then cleared his throat, feeling not less uncomfortable than his brother. "Ok. Let's do this. If Gabriel was a chick, a very _human_ chick, what would you think about this whole situation?"

"I can't picture Gabriel as a human woman!" the other protested, looking at him as if he had gone mad. "And I don't see the point of this foreplay."

"Make an effort and answer the damned question, Sam. I'm trying to be a good and patient brother for once, even if I'd like to tell you to go and fuck yourself and your issues. I don't like to play the psychologist, so don't push me."

"Fine, fine. No need to get upset." Sam raised his hands in surrender and forced himself to do as his sibling had told him. "Well…I guess I would conclude that I like her, even if she is fucking annoying."

"Very well. What would you do?"

"Try to understand if I can have a chance with her. Spend some time with her to work out my real feelings. And…" The younger hunter looked away. "Ask for more sex meanwhile."

"You could have omitted the last thing" the elder groaned with displeasure. "Anyway, here is your answer. You _do _have a crush on him. Do what you just said. But if you two have sex again, I don't want to know, alright? Oh, and don't make me have a conversation like this never ever again! Especially about some supernatural guy."

"I…I…Thanks, Dean" the other stuttered, not knowing what to say. Then, after a moment of silence, he added: "God. It has been so awkward."

"Yeah, fucking awkward" Dean agreed nodding. "That's why I don't want it to happen again."

"But, Dean…Are you really alright with this?" the younger Winchester asked again. "I don't want this…_thing_ to create even more tension between us. I…I'd choose you over him, if I had to. I mean, family always comes first, right?"

His brother sighed. "Yeah, that's it. And no, I'm not alright with this thing but…If we survive a Leviathans invasion and a heavenly war, I guess we deserve a reward. They gave us nothing but crap for stopping the Apocalypse, so this time it's better if we take something for ourselves while we can. And if you are so stupid to let that bastard make you happy, well, stay with him. After all, there is no way out of this life and forget what's hiding in the shadows. I tried to leave it all behind. It didn't work. The hunt will always be our job. So it's better if we share our existence with someone who can take it."

"Meaning another hunter…or a creature that is on our side" Sam concluded for him. He reached forward to lay a hand on the other's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dean. I really wanted your way out to work. But you are right. The hunt is family business, it's in our blood. We can't just pretend that all we have been through didn't happen. It scarred us. Indelibly."

Their eyes met, getting lost in each other for an intense moment, and the older Winchester nodded, pushing him away. "Fine, fine. This was one of the most horrible and longest chick flick moments we have ever had and I'm already totally disgusted with myself, so please let's stop" he claimed, standing up. "Come on, let's go. I'm hungry and I really need a drink after this. Maybe more than one."

"Yeah, me too. And Charlene is surely waiting for us by now."

They got out of the room and headed towards the hall, chatting about everything and nothing. Dean teased Sam about the fact that he used a conditioner to wash his hair and that it was another proof that he was a giant girl, receiving a hard shove as an answer. A maid who had been passing by in that moment gave them a weird look and mumbled something in Portuguese, shaking her head. The younger glared at his brother, in a silent threat that however didn't affect Dean's amused smirk, and they hurried up to leave the motel.

** ж**

Gabriel shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he walked along the main road of the small town. He would have just flown to the diner if it had been just him and the Winchesters, but with the Charlie girl present he couldn't risk as he usually did around the boys. Or rather, he would have, since his Trickster side was begging him to play some prank on their new friend, but he had promised Sam that he would try to behave. He rolled his eyes, annoyed. He was keeping a promise he had made to a human. He should be ashamed of himself. Playing the archangel again really sucked. Maybe not as much as it had when he had been forced to fight Lucifer, but still quite a lot. And so did being around the younger hunter. He was starting to find saying no to him harder and harder. He had always being inclined to comply with his requests, in the end at least, like the time when he had stuck the brothers in that time loop. But now it was getting worse. He shouldn't have admitted to have a soft spot on him. The bastard was exploiting that knowledge without giving him something in exchange. Maybe he should start asking a reward every time he did as he was told. He smirked, amused by the thought. That could work. And especially his gigantic kiddo wouldn't be so happy about it.

He looked up at the sky. Speaking about idiots, he wondered what his younger brother was doing. If he made an effort he could still sense the stains of the other's fading Grace, but they were getting weaker and weaker. He frowned. If Castiel had stayed with them he could have recharged him with his own powers, even if it would have been just a temporary solution. But his younger sibling had insisted in wandering off by himself, in a crazy search for his own essence. Which made sense, but wasn't the most intelligent thing to do with an ongoing war and dangerous enemies hunting him. The temptation to go to him and drag him back was strong, but at the same time he knew he couldn't. Castiel could nothing against his powers, not even when he was in his best shape, but he would have never forgiven him if he had forced him to abandon his search. The last thing they needed was a brothers' spat inside their small team and so he felt obliged to respect the other angel's wishes. Which didn't mean that he was alright with them and didn't keep him from regularly checking the state of his Grace.

He let those thoughts go as he realised that he had almost reached his destination. His three companions were standing next to the entrance, chatting about everything and nothing, and he quickened his path to reach them, painting one of his usual smirks on his lips. He had no intention to show that he was concerned because the two hunters would force him to explain the reason of his worries, with the result of rough, manly Deano freaking out at the news that his angelic best buddy could die alone in a fucking hole and little Sammy fussing over his older brother. He had no patience left for that.

"Heya there, guys!" he greeted in an extremely cheerful tone when he was a few step away from the three. "Missed me?"

"I was starting to think that you wouldn't show up" Dean answered, voice dripping sarcasm. "And you can't imagine how much happy that thought was making me!"

"Love ya too, kiddo" he talked back with the same tone, gaining a snarl. He wondered how much pissed the older hunter was about the fact that he had slept with his beloved baby brother. He didn't sense so much more hatred than before. Maybe Dean was just behaving because he felt guilty about Castiel leaving. Or perhaps he didn't mind him and Sam as much as he claimed. He mentally shrugged at the thought and turned his attention on Charlene. "Heya, miss! You are gorgeous tonight" he teased gently, taking her hand and kissing it playfully. "How is my favourite girl? Nice shitty rooms we have got, don't you agree?"

"I've seen worse places" she said freeing her fingers from his grip, but she nodded in agreement. Then she glared murderously at him. "And, Gabriel, you have better not treat me like a damsel. I'm one of the knights, got it? You should kiss your soon-to-be boyfriend, not me! Sam must be a saint to bear with you!"

The archangel snorted in amusement. "He likes me as I am" he claimed turning towards Sam for the first time and offering him a huge grin. "And, besides, I prefer to greet my boy in another way! Pecks are overrated." And, before the younger Winchester could do anything to stop him, his hand landed on the human's butt, squeezing it. "Don't you agree, Sammy?"

"_Gabriel_!" Sam half yelped and half growled, caught off guard, while Dean stared at the shorter man with an expression that seemed to be saying "Your life end now, son of a bitch!"

Charlie sniggered openly and Gabriel shrugged, slapping Sam's ass nonchalantly before removing his hand. "He doesn't…_yet_" he commented gaining another chuckle by the woman and another glare from the brothers. He knew he shouldn't push his luck so much, but it was too fun. And, besides, he loved risk when it didn't threaten his health. "What a pity!"

"Let's go inside" the younger Winchester muttered, sounding quite unhappy, and without waiting for an answer crossed the threshold, followed by his sibling. Charlene and the archangel exchanged an amused look and went after them.

Sam let himself fall on the seat that the waitress showed them, sighing. Damned angel, he always found a way to embarrass and humiliate him. No one had told him that he had to play the part of the boyfriend, but apparently the shorter man had thought that it would be entertaining to do so, especially considering their recent activities. The conversation he had had with Dean at the hotel came back in his mind. Why did he have to have a crush on that asshole? His brother had said that he could do whatever he wanted about it, but he wasn't even sure that something could be done about it even if he had wanted to. This was Gabriel, after all. He tricked, played, joked to the point that you could never be sure of where the truth was. He knew the other had had some infatuations in the past, serious ones if he considered what had happened with Kali. He still cared a lot about her even after all that time. But their relationship had been focused mostly on sex and physical attraction, even if the affection was there. And that was not what he looked for in a relationship. He wanted commitment and seriousness, both traits that the archangel didn't usually show. He had admitted to care about him and had shown true concern about Castiel, but it wasn't enough. Maybe it meant that they would become friends, even best buddies since the other mostly focused on him other than on Dean, but nothing more.

He lost the trail of his thoughts as he saw the older hunter sitting down in front of him instead of next to him as he had anticipated. He frowned at his brother, who shrugged in answer and turned towards Charlene who had slipped next to him. Sam looked at the empty space next to him, as his mind proceeded the meaning of that all. He looked up to see Gabriel grinning at him and one moment later the archangel's tight was pressed against his. He quickly turned his eyes on his sibling once again, his gaze shouting "What the fuck?!" The other hunter raised his eyebrow as if he was saying "He is your crush, Sammy, deal with it" and making him frown even more deeply.

Gabriel watched that silent dialogue with interest and a bit of wonder. Maybe the brothers didn't realise it, but they had developed their personal way to communicate and the easiness with which they understood each other's expressions and looks was intriguing. He had never shared such a deep bond with anyone since he had left Heaven. It reminded him of the way in which once he used to be bound to his brothers and sisters. He wondered if he and Castiel could go back doing it, once fixed all that mess. Not without surprise he realised that he wished they would.

He grabbed one of the menus and quickly scanned the list of foods, settling almost immediately on the sweets. He wasn't very fond of the other kind of things that humans usually ate and he had no intention to eat them just to play a role. He'd take something from Sam's plate and then he would eat a couple of slices of cake.

The others ordered and he received some weird looks from them as he said that he would just take the desert later, but no comments were made about it. The conversation started revolving about small nothings, like Charlie's job and the brothers' fake occupation. Then Sam and Dean started to slowly interrogate the woman to see if she knew something more about the whole situation, but it turned out that she had less information than them. Gabriel followed the conversation distractedly, his attention focused on tracking down Castiel's Grace, but without success.

Once they had finished with their dinner, Charlie excused herself and headed towards the bathroom, leaving the three of them alone for the first time. Dean turned immediately towards the archangel, who raised an eyebrow at him, hoping that he wasn't going to scold him for having fondled his baby brother's butt.

"Tell me you haven't spent the last few hours making troubles and that you have something for us" the hunter said instead, looking serious and concentrated.

The archangel leant back against the chair. So it was about work. "It's not an angel. Whatever you are hunting is not from Heaven. I've checked the whole area and my dear siblings are not around" he answered. Then his expression darkened. "Not anymore."

"Gabriel…" Sam started, sounded worried. "Did you…?"

"Yeah, I had another little fight with some of Raphie's minions, but it's all fixed" he interrupted firmly but gently. "Don't worry, gigantor, I didn't kill anybody. I just sent them back home."

The younger seemed to be about to talk back, but then decided against it and nodded, laying a hand on the archangel's shoulder and squeezing. He knew well how much the other hated fighting his family. It had been the real reason why he had tried so hard to make them say yes. After the battle between Michael and Lucifer, no matter who would have won, there would have been peace, at least for the angels. Having Gabriel stand up against Lucifer and thus risking an even worse war in his opinion made up for everything the Trickster had done to them. And now he was there, fighting his siblings once again, just for their and Cas's sake.

"Is it a demon?" Dean asked again, ignoring the exchange. "Or something else?"

"I have no idea, kiddo" the Trickster said with a grin. "That's your job, not mine. I'm here to keep you safe from Raphie and for the Leviathans. Nothing else. Unless you are asking for my assistance."

"We can manage by our own" the older hunter immediately said, glaring at him. "I was just wondering if you had sensed something."

Gabriel's smirk grew bigger. "Maybe" he sang quietly, clearly amused. His fingers moved quickly to cover Sam's hand that was still lingering on his shoulder, preventing him to pull away. "Who knows?"

"Ah, fucking Trickster" Dean grumbled, annoyed. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?". His eyes focused on the two joint hands, as to say that he wasn't speaking just about the other's reticence.

"If I have to tell the truth, yes, I am! This entire situation is real fun." The archangel sounded almost pleased. Then a more serious note appeared in his tone, even if his words remained playful. "But I'd like to remember you that I am no longer playing the role of Loki the Trickster, but I'm back being my true fabulous angelic self!"

"Fine, as you wish" the older Winchester conceded. "Fucking archangel!"

Gabriel nodded satisfied. "That's better."

Dean shook his head, incredulous, but there was the hint of a smile on his lips. "So, tomorrow we are checking the crime scenes and interrogating eventual neighbours and so on. The usual stuff. You coming with us?"

"Uhm…" The archangel looked pensive for some moments. Then he turned towards Sam with a malicious smirk. "What do you think, kiddo? Should I come with you?"

The latter glared at him, but then nodded, even if not without a bit of reluctance. He knew well that the other had meant to ask him if he wanted his company, but he had no intention of playing along with him. "I think it would be a good idea. Maybe you will be able to sense something" he answered, keeping his tone strictly professional. "You could be useful."

"Oh, so you do need me! At least, you, Sam! Your brother has already said his opinion on the matter" the shorter man teased, his golden eyes shining with amused delight. He squeezed the hunter's fingers. "Don't worry, gigantor, I'll take care of _all_ your needs! And you will be satisfied, I promise!"

"Fuck off, you pervert" Sam snorted in answer, taking his hand away. "I don't know why I'm still acting nice with you. You are a complete asshole."

"Because you love me, kiddo! And I'm very, very happy about it" Gabriel sang cheerfully. "Wanna see how much?"

The younger Winchester opened his mouth to let out a harsh reply, but Dean was quicker and growled exasperate: "Oh for fuck's sake! Stop this sickening flirting! Get a room!"

The other hunter stared at him incredulous, ignoring the archangel's laugh. What the hell was his brother doing? He had the horrible feeling that the elder was trying in his own and odd way to provide him a stepping stone. But of course he had to be a dick at the same time so it was coming out totally wrong. "Dean, don't start, please. Gabriel is enough" he stated annoyed. He could take care of his love life, if it could be called like that, by his own. He had never liked it when his sibling had stepped in claiming to want and help with his crushes. It had always ended badly for him. "I've never said a word about the whole minutes you spend eye fucking Cas, so I'd be glad if you just did the same!". He wasn't even sure where that had come from, but the shocked look on Dean's face was enough to make him ignore the fact that he had been a bastard by mentioning Castiel.

"When I do _what_?!" the older Winchester exploded, his voice loud enough to attract the attention of most of the people who were in the diner.

"Lower your voice, or you'll have us kicked out" Sam muttered, looking quickly around, feeling a bit uncomfortable under the gaze of the presents. "And you've heard me. You and Cas eye fucking, staring at each other for endless minutes. Have you got an idea of how much uncomfortable I feel when you do that? God, I feel like a very embarrassed, unwanted intruder. And the tension that fills the air…It's unbearable! But I've never said anything because I can mind my business, something you can't do apparently."

Dean kept staring at him like he was insane, gaping and still a bit in shock. He had to be having some kind of fucked up dream. He couldn't believe that his younger sibling had actually spoken those words, and especially he couldn't believe that he really meant what he had just said. He didn't do that thing with Castiel. It was the angel's fault, he seemed not able to understand the meaning of personal space and he apparently liked a lot to stare at people. Well, at him in particular. But that was all. He had come to accept it because scolding the other all the time hadn't worked. And he looked back because he hated loosing staring contests.

He opened his mouth to tell his brother those things, but in that moment Charlene slipped back next to him, preventing him from speaking. "Hey guys!" she said with a forced smile. She looked nervous and her eyes wandered between the brothers, refusing to look at Gabriel. "Did I miss something interesting?"

"Just small chat" Sam answered, happy to be able to drop the argument. It was better if they pretended that it had never happened. He eyed the woman. "Are you alright, Charlie? You look worried."

"Ah, it's nothing, just an idiot in the bathroom…" she quickly said, waving a hand nonchalantly. Then she added: "I was thinking that we could speak with the waitress and the barkeeper. I heard them joking about some local legends. Adding some folklore in our articles could be a good idea."

"It was exactly what I was thinking!" Dean agreed, shooting an interested glance at the barkeeper's legs. If he had been in the mood he would have gladly spent some hours with her. "Which one do you want, girl?"

"You're letting me choose? That's nice, Dean, but I was thinking about a competition." Charlie offered him a defiant smirk. "Let's see whom the real charmer is!"

The older hunter grinned back. "I accept. But prepare to lose, 'cause there's no way you can beat me!" he warned getting up. "Let's go and get a drink from that lovely hot lady, shall we?" He got an enthusiastic nod as an answer and turned towards his brother. "I'll leave the waitress to you. She seems to have a soft spot for couples!" Getting up, he gestured towards the young woman who was chatting happily with a girl and a boy seated a bit far away from them. "Good luck!"

Sam glared at him. "Yeah of course, Dean. I hope that Charlie will win. Maybe you'll shut up then" he mumbled unhappily. "Jerk."

"Bitch" Dean answered never losing his smirk. "See you later."

The younger hunter waved at the two, who headed towards the counter, whispering to each other. Then he turned towards the archangel. "So…" he started, trying to sound casual. "You wanted some dessert, didn't you?"

The other smiled to him and he couldn't help thinking that it was one of the most disquieting grins he had ever seen. "Only if we are sharing" he claimed firmly and left his hand to call the waitress. "Excuse me, miss! Can we order?"

** ж**

Charlene sighed as she entered her room. It was almost three in the morning and she was still tired by the journey. She had lost the challenge with Dean since the barkeeper, Jane, seemed to be into men for her bad, but she had had fun anyway, so much that she had almost forgotten about the discovery she had made.

She locked the door and quickly grabbed her cell phone, dialling Crowley's number. She couldn't believe that he had hidden something so relevant from her. That hellish bastard. When she had gone to the bathroom she had left her second phone on calling mode in her purse, so that she could listen to her targets conversation. At first they had talked about the hunt and teased each other, but, just when she was about to get up and go back to the table, Dean had called Gabriel "fucking _archangel_". She shouldn't have been so surprised, after all she had already learned that demons and Hell existed, so it was natural that angles and Heaven did too. The problem was that she was working for the Devil and for sure an archangel wouldn't be happy about it.

"Hello, my dear!" Crowley's voice came from the other side of the line, interrupting her thoughts. "Can I do…?"

"You fucking _bitch_!" she interrupted, angered, not caring about the consequences of her words. "You sent me to work with an angel and you didn't warn me?! What if Gabriel had sensed something coming from you on me? Damn! You could have got me killed!"

"Oh, so you've already found out. Well, you are lucky, Charlie. There could have been two angels" the demon chuckled, not touched by her insults and amused by her distress. "Don't worry, I made sure that you were clean. I would never waste such an important resource for nothing. I'm not stupid."

"Yeah, of course" she muttered, sounding not convinced at all.

The King of Hell sighed. "Come on, Charlene. It was to prevent you from acting strange! Tell me, would you have been able to be as friendly as you were with the boys if I had told you about Gabriel from the start?"

"No" she admitted reluctantly. "But I haven't been able to look at him for the whole evening!"

"Did they notice?"

"I don't think so."

"Then you don't have to worry about anything. Just try to act normal from now on. And, trust me, that archangel wouldn't do anything if he found out that you are associated with me. He is not the Gabriel you know from your human myths. He cares just about his own business. Like me."

Charlene snorted, but a small smile appeared on her lips. "Yeah, sure. If he is similar to you then I really shouldn't be worried" she commented, her voice filled with sarcasm. "Next time, just tell me, okay?"

"I'll take it as a compliment" he said, his voice sounding lighter. "Alright, next time I'll warn you…If you promise me not to freak out again. And don't call me "bitch" ever again. Even if my former job as a crossroad demon had some similarities to that kind of occupation. You see, we seal contracts by kissing."

She raised an eyebrow even if he couldn't see her. "Really? Oh my, being a demon must suck at times" she claimed surprised. "I would never kiss someone I don't like."

Crowley let out a small laugh. "It's more fun than you think. Especially when they freak out" he explained delighted. "The more they are reluctant the longer and the deeper I kiss them. I love it. It's so humiliating for them. And sometimes you get to kiss some interesting people…"

"You really are a bitch!" Charlie exclaimed before she could stop herself. "Sorry!" she added immediately, even if it was clear that she didn't mean it.

She could feel the shrug in his voice as he answered: "Well, I can pass you that this time. Now, I have to go, Charlie. The Leviathans are moving again. Call me soon, girl. And do not fear, you are safe for now."

"I already told you that I don't trust the Devil's word" she talked back, but there was no hostility in her voice this time. "Goodnight, Crowley."

She hung up and threw the phone on the small desk. Shaking her head she walked towards the window and moved the curtains. Outside everything was dark and quiet and yet she had a bad feeling. Whatever was haunting the city was there, hidden in the shadow. She wondered if the guys could feel it too. She thought about the tension in Dean's posture as he had walked her to her door and about the glance the brothers had exchanged when they had left the diner. Gabriel had looked quite distracted, apparently untouched by the dark presence, but he had been unusually quiet. They knew too well.

With another quick look through the glass she closed the curtains again, making sure that the windows were locked. Maybe that wouldn't have been enough to keep the creature out, but it made her feel safer. She stripped and put on her pyjamas, then let herself fell on the bed. She absent-mindedly thought that the two voices speaking in the corridor sounded familiar, but sleep took her before her mind could identify them.


End file.
